


Blank Slate

by HypersomniacGrad



Series: Blank Slate [1]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Character Presumed Dead, F/F, mentions of staubrey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-11-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 18:03:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 42,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5014717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HypersomniacGrad/pseuds/HypersomniacGrad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone would kill for a second chance and that's exactly what Chloe gets when one day, five years later, she gets another chance to tell Beca how she feels. Only... Beca was supposedly long gone and the girl who Chloe meets years later has no idea whatsoever who the redhead was...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What All These Years Have Led Me To

This was it.

Was she nervous?

Like hell.

This was, after all, the very reason Chloe has stayed for Barden for a few extra years.

They say falling in love was easy. It comes so naturally with the right person. And as easy as it was, falling in love takes time for someone to fully realize.

It starts out from that moment when your eyes meet across a sea full of strangers. Then you feel this sudden fluttering from somewhere deep in your stomach. And it’s like your blood has turned into electricity flowing through your veins. Your breath hitches a little, but you barely even notice, the only thought you have is that it’s you’ve found something you’ve always been looking for, but you didn’t even know it was missing in the first place.

Somewhere deep in your thoughts you say “Oh, hey. There you are!”

And that was what Chloe found out one day, jumping up awake, with the realization dawning onto her.

“Oh my God. I’m in love with her. I’m in love with Beca.” Chloe remembered telling herself that morning.

A morning that was now a distant memory.

And it never occurred to her what it was until then. Because it was a very puzzling paradox.

Chloe found herself unable to breathe whenever Beca was away, but whenever she was around, it was like Beca kept taking her breath away from her.

It’s like she was her source of air.

Like an incredible pull of force.

Her very gravity.

Again, something that in the end Chloe was convinced was truthfully natural.

No it didn’t occur to her.

She kept brushing it off. But the signs were there.

She was extra bubbly – and for Chloe, that meant a whole lot – when Beca was around. Her smile, the one that usually rivaled the brilliance of the sun itself, grew ten times brighter.

Beca was her rhythm, her melody, her music.

And Beca, the ever so talented DJ, was playing all the right tunes, all the beats of Chloe’s heart unknowingly.

So when Chloe finally realized what was going on, when she built her confidence, mustered up all her courage to tell Beca the truth after their first championship performance…

…well, to say her heart broke was the understatement of the century…

…scratch that…

…the understatement of the whole millennia.

And while Chloe tried to force herself to move on and let her go, she just couldn’t. Beca was the most addictive drug and Chloe just couldn’t quit her.

Hence, the endless repeats of Russian Lit.

But all that was a small price to pay, Chloe considered, to just be close to her DJ, her best friend, her Beca.

Over the course of their college years together, Chloe had to admit, there were so many times she convinced herself to just let Beca go from her heart. But every time she tried, the DJ keeps pulling her back. Opening up to her just a little more, letting her come even closer.

Then, of course, there was the whole thing that was the dagger to Chloe’s heart. It came with the name of Jesse.

Jesse who was Beca’s boyfriend.

Jesse who was actually a pretty good person.

And if Beca ended up with anyone and it couldn’t be Chloe, Chloe would be happy for her if it was Jesse.

But Chloe couldn’t help but notice the sparks fading away between them.

Until it wasn’t there anymore.

And Chloe couldn’t help but notice the pull the tiny brunette had on her was getting stronger and stronger.

So Chloe couldn’t help but hope.

That’s how she found herself in her situation now. Standing right next to Beca as nervous as she ever could be, while they waited for the results to be announced. Chloe felt like they slayed the competition, and _this_ was the biggest competition.

Chloe thought to herself, if they could conquer the Worlds, she could conquer her own fears. Take the risks, take that leap of faith, and just go for it. Tell Beca. Let her know the truth of how she feels for her.

She could keep it to herself, suffer in silence for the rest of her life.

But that would be even more insane.

Because Beca was right there standing within her reach…

The Bellas were announced as the winners – really no surprise there – and Chloe was quickly taken by surprise with the force that came with Beca’s hug.

She looked at her for a moment, as soon as Beca pulled away, grabbed her hands and led her to the stage to claim their trophy, the Bellas all quickly rushing behind to join them.

It wasn’t until Amy seized the trophy and raised it above her head shouting something about their celebratory party that she was left all alone with Beca again.

The two of them lingered behind the Bellas as they were making their way to leave the grounds, Beca letting go of a chuckle to something Chloe wasn’t sure of. Her eyes were only on Beca.

Chloe wouldn’t have noticed it herself if Beca hadn’t caught her staring, sporting on her trademark smirk matched with the smugness that Chloe always found to be adorable on Beca.

“You got something on your mind, Beale?” Beca asked.

Chloe tried to open her mouth only to find herself stuttering which Beca seemed to have found amusing.

“You know if we don’t hurry up and join the Bellas now they’ll have funny ideas in their heads about what we’re doing.” Beca then said.

“Yeah, well, they always think we’re up to something.” Chloe managed to say, finally recovering.

“Seriously though Chlo, what is it? It’s like you have something on your mind ever since we finished our performance.”

“Maybe there is something.” Chloe mumbled taking a deep breath and biting her lip.

This was it.

The moment all those years of waiting led to.

But just before she had gathered the strength to dive in, head over heels, and just say it out loud, Beca’s phone rang.

Beca scrunched up her face when she saw who was calling, Chloe didn’t see the name on the screen, but judging from the tone of her voice she guessed it was Sheila…

Beca’s face turned from confused to completely shaken from zero to sixty flat. “I’ll be on the next flight out.” she said in almost a whisper before looking a Chloe looking a little lost and uncertain.

The next words told Chloe why.

Apparently her father had a serious heart attack.


	2. Missed Chances

Beca was gone.

And Chloe didn’t mean gone from Denmark, all the Bellas helped her get back home as fast as she could to see her dad.

Chloe couldn’t help but think about how much the DJ has changed since the first day she stepped on the grounds of Barden, and it made her happy to see that she was more open to people now. That she was even able to fix her relationship with her dad.

So when her healthy as a horse dad gets a heart attack, Chloe understood, Beca needed to get to him ASAP.

And Chloe held back on springing the whole ‘I’ve been secretly in love with you this past four years’ thing.

Chloe thought that could wait until they get back to Barden and know that Dr. Mitchell was going to fine.

Except Beca was gone.

All her things.

She left without saying a word.

And Chloe was completely taken aback by this.

The Bellas, being the Bellas, soon found out why.

Dr. Mitchell was going to be fine. But there was a serious verbal smack down in the hospital with Sheila about some stupid argument that they all really couldn’t comprehend about.

All they knew for sure was that Beca packed her bags immediately and left.

And apparently left for LA, as Chloe soon found out when she called Jesse to ask if he’s heard anything about Beca.

“She’s fine Chloe. Not really speaking to me though.” Jesse said over the phone.

“How come?” Chloe asked. She felt like it was pushing a little but her concern for how Beca was overwhelmed her unspoken boundary with Jesse.

“I wanted to know why she was so upset and she didn’t want to say anything. I guessed I pushed to hard? I don’t know. Apparently it was something about her mom so… yeah…”

“How is she?” Chloe found herself asking weakly. She tried to call Beca a dozen of times but no answer. She must’ve turned her phone off.

“Upset. I’ve been banned from her apartment until further notice. But you know, I’m a persistent guy so I kept on checking on her but she left.”

 “Left?”

“I’m not sure where she was off to. But since she has two weeks to settle down before she starts in her new job I think she went on a trip somewhere.”

“Oh.” Chloe let out as a reply, her voice sounding a little heartbroken and worried. Heartbroken because Beca didn’t even let her know anything. Beca’s changed so much…

…and felt like she was retreating back to her walls.

“She just needs time Chloe. Don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah, sure. Let me know if you hear anything.”

Three whole days passed.

But nothing.

No word from Beca.

No word from Jesse.

Chloe groaned as she checked her phone for the umpteenth time that day, annoyed that for whatever reason her phone had no signal. She had just moved in with Aubrey, her best friend who ever so ecstatic that they’ll be living together again.

Just like the good ol’ days.

And much to Aubrey’s dismay, Chloe was back to pining away for Beca.

Yep, just like the good ol' days.

Aubrey threw one of the throw pillows at Chloe’s direction as soon as she joined her in the living room.

“Seriously though Chlo, what does the munchkin have that’s gotten you so wound up like this?” Aubrey said, absent-mindedly flipping through the channel.

Chloe made a face that made Aubrey laugh a little before she finally mumbled, “She’s Beca. That’s it. That’s all. She’s Beca.”

“Oh Chloe, what’s stopping you from following her to wherever she is? I think you’ve waited long enough.”

“I don’t know where she is Aubrey.”

“That’s an obstacle Chlo. You’ve always pretty much barreled through any and every obstacle thrown at your way. Chloe, just – ”

Chloe never got the chance to hear the rest of what Aubrey was saying as her phone rang and she immediately jumped to answer it. Glad to finally hearing it ringing.

“Jesse! Have any news on Beca?” Chloe immediately asked.

But there was no answer form the Treble, just him breathing irregularly.

“Jesse, are you okay?”

“Oh my, Chlo, look.” Aubrey then said pointing at the main news for what seemed to be the whole day... well… the last three hours…

A ferry crash at the San Francisco Bay area.

Twelve were already confirmed dead.

A few injured.

A few more missing.

To make matters worse, a storm started raging on, making rescue efforts even more difficult.

“Hang on Bree.”  Chloe said to her best friend before returning to Jesse on the phone. “Jesse, are you still there?”

“Ye-yeah. Chloe, you should sit down.” Jesse said through the line, his voice cold and distant.

“Jesse, what’s the matter?”

“I was on the phone with Beca a while ago, before she said she was going to call you.”

“Well she hasn’t yet.”

“She called three hours ago Chlo… she’s… is that the news on the background?”

Chloe’s heart had been sinking lower and lower from the tone in Jesse’s voice, so Jesse going on a tangent was not something that helped her situation. “Jesse! What is it!?”

“Oh Chlo…” Aubrey then said, her face looking grave.

“What is it Bree?”

And that was when Chloe switched her attention back to the television.

Chloe has only met Beca’s mom once in the whole time she’s known the young DJ, and it was during a Christmas charity event that the Bellas were invited over for a performance.

Three things she knew at that moment: One, Beca’s mom lived in San Francisco. Two, Beca left because of some sort of argument she had with Sheila with her mom while at the hospital. Three, Beca’s mom was on TV as the news reporter was interviewing family and friends of the victims of the crash.

Chloe dropped her phone, unsure where it landed.

She was pretty sure her heart dropped straight to the ground though.

And she never knew she could ever feel so numb, until that moment.

When she knew she’s waited for so long.

And when the storm decided to rage on.

Chloe’s fears were becoming more and more of a reality.

She’s losing Beca.

Losing her for the rest of her life.

Because Beca was gone.

And she may never come back.

 


	3. The Ghost of You

Chloe sat frozen, unfeeling throughout the whole thing.

She’s been like that since they first heard.

It was a strange feeling. It was like having your heart ripped out of your chest while at the same time feeling the pain that accompanied its every beat as it struggled to stay alive.

She could still feel the tears stain her cheeks as she cried endlessly - not like the other Bellas weren’t bawling like her because even Aubrey cried.

There was something about being at the prime of your life and then you wake up the next day to find someone you know was gone that just simply shakes you to the core.

Lost forever.

Lost youth, lost potential.

Lost love.

And Chloe couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by both grief and anger, her frustrations taking her over, like every piece of her was being ripped away.

She should have said something when she had the chance.

Should’ve taken a leap.

But now there was no way of ever knowing anything.

Beca was gone.

They couldn’t even find the body, what with the raging storm and all.

The details of the crash would forever remain blurry in Chloe’s mind, all she could ever think about was Beca. Her smirk, her usual smugness, her moodiness, that little smile that slowly crept on her lips that rarely graced her face and that was only there whenever she was around Chloe for some reason, at least the Bellas claim it to be the case.

Chloe and Aubrey had just made it back to their apartment before the redhead made her way to her room on autopilot. She was tired and exhausted.

The service was nice and simple, that much Chloe knew. The casket remained closed the whole time. Again, they couldn’t even recover Beca’s body, but her parents agreed that a service was needed, that it was just right.

The silent tears that ran down Chloe’s cheeks once again turned into full on sobbing. She wasn’t sure when, but it was at some point towards the night that Aubrey checked on her, the blonde immediately rushing to her side as she cradled her through the night.

Aubrey never saw Chloe so broken.

But that was because Chloe never felt so broken.

Memories of the past kept flooding through Chloe’s brain and were on constant replay as she remembered the first time they met, the whole ‘shower incident’…

…everything…

Their quiet moments in Chloe’s room at the Bellas house, the redhead pulling her seniority to get a room all to herself. It was their thing, unspoken to anyone but understood by everyone. Beca always studies in Chloe’s room with the redhead, each of them to their own until Beca gets bored and starts mixing, to which Chloe would soon bug her about whatever it was she was doing. She even started teaching Chloe how to mix at one point.

Chloe also loved those quiet mornings when the Bellas would either be too hung over to even leave their room or when they're all gone and Chloe and Beca had the Bellas' house all to themselves. Chloe would make pancakes and attempt to lure out the DJ from her room for breakfast and Beca, never the early riser, would still get out of bed with a smirk.

The DJ reasoned it was for the pancakes.

Chloe deluded herself into believing that.

But everyone knew it was for Chloe.

Because Beca always did whatever it was that Chloe wanted, whatever it was that would make the redhead smile.

No matter how ridiculous it was.

And Chloe wanted to smile as she remembered the memories.

She tried but it would always be so heartbreaking and bittersweet.

Because now Beca only lived on in those memories…

…now Beca was nothing more but simply memories…

…and it was just so unfair.

And Chloe never felt so empty and alone.

Chloe woke up the next day still in the black dress she wore for Beca’s funeral and with Aubrey still by her side.

What surprised her though was that Aubrey wasn’t the only one by her side.

All the Bellas were camped out in her room, with Stacie spooning Aubrey, Emily dozing off to Chloe’s other side, Amy and CR on one of the inflatable mattresses that Aubrey had for whenever the Bellas stayed over, Jessica and Ashley sharing the other one. Meanwhile, Flo and Lilly seemed to be content sharing the small space by the foot of Chloe’s bed.

Chloe smiled a little at the sight of her friends.

So maybe she never said anything about how she felt about Beca, but they do say that actions speak louder than words.

And Chloe was just so transparent aboout how she felt for the DJ.

The Bellas knew, they understood.

And they didn’t want Chloe to be alone.

But Chloe didn’t know they didn’t want to be alone by themselves either.

Because it was tough to be confronted by the ghosts the person you love leave behind once they were gone.

Because those memories, those photographs you keep, those last text messages that you end up saving, the fact you can’t delete their name from your contact list…

…pretty much everything they ever did that made them so special to you in the first place…

…those past actions, no matter how simple or grand…

…they’ll all echo through.

And Chloe once again found herself smiling a bittersweet smile as she thought about it.

Beca was gone.

But she’ll stay alive for as long as they keep the memory of her alive.

Chloe carefully extracted herself from her bed and made her way to the bathroom, gathering some clothes to quickly change into on the way. She checked her phone, a few missed calls from Jesse and even Beca’s mom and her dad.

They must’ve known too.

They, yes, they all didn’t want to be alone.

They’ll only get through this together.

Chloe took in a deep breath and sighed, setting her phone aside, only to quickly pick it up again as she saw the tiny red notification from her mailbox.

Looking back that notification was there for a good while, she noticed it quickly after Jesse’s call that fateful day but didn’t pay much attention to it after.

She couldn’t think of anything else back then.

And as Chloe checked who left the message, her heart ached yet again.

It was from Beca.

On the day of the ferry crash.

Chloe’s hands trembled, her mind only having that one single thought.

Even when Beca was gone, she’ll always live on through the pieces of her that she’s left behind.

Including that voicemail.

And with that thought Chloe pressed play.

 


	4. One Last Piece of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the next chapter won't be as sad as this...
> 
> well... maybe...
> 
> anyways, comments are always appreciated and to those following this fic so far, thank you so much!

Aubrey was the first to get up before the rest of the Bellas did, so she was also the first to see Chloe reduced to a sobbing mess, yet again.

Chloe was down on the floor, her face hidden behind her knees as she help up her phone to her ear. Aubrey wasted no time to rushing to her best friend’s side taking away the phone from Chloe and holding her close, gently rocking her, at a loss to what to say. She thought for a while last night that Chloe had finally cried her eyes out.

Yep, she was wrong.

“What’s going on?” Stacie asked as she made her way out of Chloe’s room, the redhead’s inconsolable and painful sobs echoing throughout the apartment. The rest of the Bellas followed suit.

Stacie made her way closer to the two former co-captains, Aubrey nodding towards the phone. “Oh.” Stacie let out after looking at the screen, pointing it out to Aubrey and the rest of the Bellas.

A voicemail.

From Beca.

The day of the incident.

“Talk about a message from the grave.” Amy commented before CR nudged her. “I mean, you know, what else can you say about it?”

To everyone’s surprise, Chloe let out a chuckle to Amy’s comment.

“Chlo?” Aubrey asked gently.

“No, I… Amy’s right though…” Chloe commented as she finally wriggled free of Aubrey and dried her eyes.

“So, um… Chloe… what did it say?” Emily timidly asked and Chloe simply gave a sad smile back.

“Girls, how about we give Chloe some space?” Aubrey then said.

“Yeah, if you guys are up to it we can go grab brunch from the diner down the street and just hang out here for a while?” Jessica offered before nudging Ashley.

“Yeah, totally our treat.” Ashley then seconded.

“And you definitely should eat something Red. You’ve barely eaten anything for days.” Cynthia Rose then commented and Chloe nodded.

Aubrey tried giving Chloe some space, ordering her best friend to get a shower and change into something more comfortable.

Aubrey was a little at a loss. True, she was the one always there to help pick up the pieces whenever Chloe’s heart gets broken by some thick headed guy, and even when the munchkin decided to pick the Treble. She was the one who was always there to calm her down when she was upset, to cheer her up.

But she has no idea how to handle this.

Not when she’s at a loss with how she felt herself.

Sure, she didn’t get along with Beca at the start, but that was for a lot of different reasons. Mostly personal. Mostly because she didn’t want to listen, because she was so deadest on wining the same fight when no two things could ever be the same.

And maybe it was because she saw the signs right off the bat. Aubrey didn’t want to admit it but she was jealous of Beca, because Beca had won over Chloe completely from that first little exchange at the quad.

Chloe’s been her best friend for what felt like forever, and for the first time ever, she actually felt like she would lose her best friend, and to an alternative girl too closed off to the world. She was worried she’d hurt her, she was worried she’d break Chloe.

But she was wrong.

Because Aubrey saw.

Beca cared for Chloe, a whole lot. Until the Bellas saw it themselves too.

But in the end the DJ still chose the Treble.

And in the end, despite pushing their differences aside and actually becoming good friends, she ended up breaking Chloe’s heart to the point that it, as Aubrey feared, would be beyond repair.

What’s worse?

The tiny DJ managed to take a piece of each one of the Bella's hearts too.

Even hers.

So Aubrey was at a loss.

Because she was right to be afraid back then.

Beca was the one that meant the most to Chloe.

So it hurt the most when she left.

And now she’s gone for good.

With Chloe left inconsolable.

When Chloe finally came back out of her room, the Bellas were all huddled in the living room, dressed comfortably as they were setting up the food that Ashley and Jessica got. Amy helped CR set things up for an impromptu movie marathon to try and cheer up.

“Hey Chlo. Come eat.” Aubrey commanded and Chloe obliged.

“You guys didn’t need to do all of this.” Chloe said, her voice sounding a little hoarse.

“We do Chlo. Not just for you but for all of us too.” Stacie chimed in. “We kind of all just want to take our minds off pretty much everything that’s happened.”

“So you know, if you want to let us know anything Red, if you want to talk, we’re all hear.” Amy then added.

“What was in the voicemail anyways?” Emily then spoke out, the one thought that was in all of the Bella’s minds.

Which of course earned her a glare from Aubrey.

Chloe looked at Aubrey in a confusion. “I thought you would have listened to it by now.”

Aubrey shook her head. “It’s a message for you Chlo, not for us.” she said truthfully.

“Well, you guys are as much of a part of it.” Chloe mumbled as she scrambled on her feet to grab her phone.

Aubrey simply watched as her best friend did her best to compose herself. “You don’t have to share it with us Chlo.” she commented.

Chloe shook her head and fought off the tears that were coming the best she could. The Bellas were gathered around their coffee table, waiting for Chloe to press play.

And once it did, nothing but silence filled the room.

Nothing except Beca’s voice.

_> some noisy windy back ground noise<_

_Hey Chlo… so… *sigh* Um… God I’m being an idiot (Beca mumbles to herself)_

_So listen. I’m sorry I was gone before you guys got back. It’s stupid really, you probably heard about my outrageous somewhat uncalled for outburst in the hospital, but in my defense, the step-monster so had it coming._

_But anyways._

_I wish I had the chance to tell the Bellas how happy I was about our win._

_I’m proud of all of us._

_You too, you know, ‘cause you’ve finally graduated._

_You’re probably worried. Sorry, bad habits tend to die hard. But look, let me make it up to you. I know you’re not yet sure where you want to go or what you want to do next but why don’t you move in with me in LA? I mean… *groans* Why am I being such an idiot (mumbles to herself)?_

_Look, Chloe, I know you didn’t stay at Barden just to be a Bella for all this time. Jesse might have pointed it out to me a while back… I was just being an idiot and all… But, you know Chlo… *groans again* Why am I terrible at this…_

_Sorry for filling your mailbox with my nonsense, it’s just… I probably should do this in person, but I might lose my nerves again and Jesse might’ve already built my confidence up earlier._

_I have… well… er… I’ve… hmm… I guess…_

_I’m in love with you too Chlo._

_I mean, assuming, you know, that Jesse was right. That everyone’s obvious looks were right. That you have, you know, feelings for me too._

_But yeah, I love you._

_So there._

_God I’m terrible at this._

_Call me when you get this, and promise me you won’t comment on my mumbling._

_> click< _

At the end of the message all of the Bellas were reduced to tears.

Aubrey even more so than she would have admitted.

Because it was just such a cruel twist of Fate.

And she understood why Chloe was bawling her eyes out.

Because now, the only thing she has left was a voicemail to prove to her that Beca loved her too.

 


	5. Heartbreaks and Heartbeats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to have a five year jump in this one. And I apologize for the past incredibly dramatic chapters.
> 
> But yeah.
> 
> There was a reason why the casket was empty.
> 
> This may also be my last chapter for a while. Comments are always appreciated. If you have any suggestions of what you want to see happen (I still don't much planned for this one but I intend it to be around 20-25 chapters long) let me know (you can also hit me up on tumblr: thehypotensivegrad)

Chloe huffed as she slumped down the empty mattress on the floor of her room.

Aubrey simply raised her eyebrow as she peaked through her open door. “Chlo, you do know nothing’s going to get done if you don’t help me out here.” the blonde said and the redhead sheepishly smiled back.

“Oh, come on Bree. How about tonight we just rest and take a break?”

“That’s the plan Chlo, but we might as well set some of our things aside so that when we get back home tonight, we get back to an actual home.” Aubrey argued.

“Bree, we both know I’m the only one coming home tonight, you’ll be sneaking off with Stacie back to her apartment two floors down.” Chloe commented with a smirk.

To which Aubrey huffed, her face red as ever, before she stomped out of the hallway. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” she said indignantly.

Chloe got up and dusted herself off before following Aubrey out into the living room. Boxes were still scattered everywhere, but the blonde was making fast progress in unpacking their kitchen paraphernalia. So at least they had that.

Knowing Aubrey, she had probably also made good progress in fixing her room up.

All while Chloe was sulking at a corner of their new LA apartment, listening to some of old Beca’s mixes on her laptop with the DJ’s favorite headphones on.

She sort of pretty much ‘inherited’ all of Beca’s old stuff.

To prove a point, she was wearing Beca’s favorite purple flannel shirt.

It’s been five years, and Chloe would be lying if she said that it didn’t hurt as much anymore.

Because truth be told, it never did hurt any less.

“Are you seriously just going to stand there? Care to help your roommate out?” Aubrey said, snapping Chloe back to reality.

“Right.” Chloe mumbled, quickly shuffling her feet to help Aubrey unpack.

It took some serious mulling over for the whole of last year but the two of them decided to move to LA. It helped that for some sort of reason the Bellas all ended up gravitating towards the city of angels.

Five years has passed.

Pretty much everyone’s moved on in some way or form.

They rarely hear form Jesse, but he still checks on the former Bellas from time to time. He also just recently got engaged.

Emily and Benji moved to LA after the Legacy’s graduation. Benji was working in some tech company while Emily and CR both found themselves in the music industry, starting up a label of their own.

Both Jessica and Ashley were working in public relations. Lilly was around LA too, they were just not sure what she was up to. Amy and Bumper moved to LA after their first year of marriage – yeah, that was quite a wedding. The two got hitched a year after the whole thing with Beca.

Stacie was also in LA. She’s moved there right after graduation for graduate studies. She also does a bit of TVCs on the side, which helped with financing her constant trips to Atlanta to see Aubrey and Chloe, but for the most part Chloe was sure it was to see Aubrey.

Everyone’s doing fine. And for as long as Chloe stops herself from thinking about Beca, she’s also doing fine.

It was hard though.

She has no certainty to where she was exactly heading.

But Chloe realized that even when she thought her world crumbled and time has stopped, it didn’t.

And before she knew it, Chloe realized she’s been moving along too.

Forward and onwards, taking it one step at a time.

“We did well!” Aubrey beamed a good four hours later. Most of the boxes were unpacked, the kitchen and the living room were tidied up for the most part, and Chloe managed to square a few things away in her own room.

There was still a lack of furniture here and there, but that would be addressed in the coming days, what with Aubrey’s check list already pinned on the door of their fridge.

“You wanna grab a late lunch before we get ready for tonight?” Aubrey asked and Chloe smiled.

“You’ve read my mind Bree. Where do you want to go?”

“Stacie mentioned there was a good café two block away, the one across the record store we passed by earlier.”

“Sounds good to me, should we go grab Stace?” Chloe asked.

“She’s got a seminar thing or something.” Aubrey quickly mumbled.

“You know her schedule?” Chloe teased but Aubrey shrugged it off and simply rolled her eyes. “Seriously Bree, what’s going on with that?”

“Nothing of grave importance for you Chlo.” Aubrey replied. “How about you? Any plans on getting back to the dating pool?”

“Nope. I’m good.” Chloe simply answered back.

“Seriously though Chlo, it’s been five years.”

“Yeah, Bree, I know. But I don’t think five years will ever be enough. Not even ten or twenty.”

Aubrey simply nodded back and dropped the subject as the two made their way out of their apartment building, which Chloe was a whole lot thankful for.

She tried dating a few times, after Beca chose Jesse.

That didn’t work.

She always simply found herself back in the waiting arms of the DJ.

Even though she was really being just a friend to Chloe then.

Or maybe not? Who knows? There was never really a clarifying note or piece of evidence left behind other than the voicemail Beca left behind. A voicemail that Chloe never had the heart to erase.

It was the only way to hear her voice again.

So moving on again was never really an option for Chloe.

Stacie was right, the café was pretty good.

Chloe let Aubrey take over most of the conversation over their meal, she wasn’t really up to doing any talking for a while.

They were finally in LA.

And some of the thoughts that she has suppressed about Beca and her dreams and LA were trying their best to resurface form the deep dark corners of her mind.

“Chlo, I said do you want to check out the record store?” she heard Aubrey say after asking for the check.

“Huh, what? The record store? Yeah, sure.” Chloe rambled, trying to hide the fact that she was a little bit spaced out.

But she knew Aubrey noticed.

Her best friend just decided to let it slide like always.

From the outside, the record store looked small so the surprise was as clear as day when Aubrey and Chloe stepped in to find that it was actually pretty huge inside, even spanning two whole floors.

It was pretty easy to get lost through the aisles as she and Aubrey decided to split up to browse some titles. They spent a good half hour just trying to explore before Chloe actually found something she would like to buy. She wasn’t expecting to find anything in particular but then she saw a record that was actually Beca’s favorite, something the DJ had mentioned once upon a time.

Chloe was quick on her feet when she spotted it, quickly grabbing it only to find another pair of hands reaching for it.

“Sorry but I-” Chloe was about to say but she was left speechless when she looked up to see who it was that was trying to steal her find.

“Oh sorry.” the girl mumbled and Chloe’s heart wasn’t sure if it was finally give out on her or if it would start beating again.

Steel blue eyes? Check.

Only about five feet two? Check.

Brunette? Thick eye liner? Ear monstrosities? Check. Check. And Check.

“You can have it.” she said letting the record go and giving it to Chloe who was still simply gawking at the girl in front of her.

“Huh?” Chloe finally said.

Trademark smirk. Also check.

The girl smirked as she looked at Chloe a little bit confused. “Are you okay?”

“Beca…” Chloe mumbled.

“Oh, you’re not one of those weird fans are you?” was what Beca replied with.

“What?” this time it was Chloe who asked.

“Uh, I spin at that club down on third.” Beca said, starting to sound confused with the whole interaction with the redhead.

But Chloe simply scrunched her face more with confusion, still unable to form any coherent thought.

A girl who looked like Beca was standing right in front of her. Alive and well and in the flesh.

A girl named Beca who was a DJ at some club in LA.

“Whatever dude, you’re being weird.” Beca finally said before turning around to leave.

Chloe was left standing in her spot for a good five minutes before she did the one thing she knew she should do. She chased after the girl out of the record store but she was already gone.

Instead she found an angry and confused Aubrey waiting back for her outside the record store, apparently she took off with the record still in hand without paying for it. Thankfully, Aubrey was there to cover for her.

“What do you mean you saw Beca? Chloe you’re starting to see ghosts everywhere. This is not healthy!” Aubrey reprimanded on their way back to their apartment building.

“I’m telling you the truth Bree!” Chloe said defending herself. “She said she spins at this club on third, I say we go check it out with Stacie tonight.”

“Chloe…” Aubrey started to protest.

“I’m not imagining things, Bree.” Chloe croaked, tears threating to fall once again. “I saw her, a grazed her hand, I spoke to her. And it was her, I know it, I can feel it. It was her eyes, her voice, it was her.”

Aubrey simply nodded and sighed accepting defeat. Chloe looked damn certain that she saw Beca, and from the shock and surprise was evident in the redhead’s voice.

It was Beca.

She saw Beca.

It was _her_ Beca.

The same one who left her a voicemail saying that she was actually in love with her.

And for once, after five whole years, Chloe was starting to feel her heart beat again.

Only to find it faced with a renewed possibility of getting broken again.

But why did it feel like the Beca she saw thought she was just a stranger?

Why didn’t she recognize her?


	6. The Beautiful and the Illogical

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Decided to upload this one tonight too, so yeah, here's chapter 6! A little less dramatic than the other chapters… I promise… I think…
> 
> Also sorry for getting a bit cliffhanger-y with the last chapter, I wasn't sure where I wanted things to go but I did want to reintroduce Beca at the end. So yeah.
> 
> I'm planning to address the stuff with Beca's memory loss and how she survived the accident in bits and pieces - I'll start addressing that in the next chapter and then spread it out a bit.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for the support so far with the fic too!

Chloe felt nervous. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she did.

Granted they were going out that night.

To the club.

Where Beca may or may not have a steady gig as the house DJ.

To say Aubrey was still skeptical was the understatement of the century.

Even Stacie was giving Chloe a few worried looks.

The three of them – they didn't want to alarm the rest of the Bellas over nothing – found themselves settling in quite nicely in the club. A few cute looking guys noticing the lovely redhead and her friends were already scrambling towards their table. Stacie was the first to shoot them and shoo them away, completely uncharacteristic of her, true, and Chloe wasn't sure if it was because she was feeling protective of Chloe who would never stop grieving for Beca or if she didn't want any of the guys to pursue Aubrey who was looking exceptionally gorgeous for the night.

"You've never really been here before Stace?" Chloe asked at some point during their third round of drinks.

"No, most of the people in my lab go to the local bars, and hitting the club scene lately is a little out of the question with work and all." the tall brunette replied.

"Sure. Work." Chloe teased shooting a wink towards Aubrey's direction.

"I did hear that the house DJ was really good though. This place has been buzzing since she started playing here. Not sure of her name though." Stacie commented.

"Sure it's not Beca Mitchell?" Chloe let slip. "From who did you hear it from?"

"Alice, Jesse's girlfriend, I mean fiancée. Although apparently they're no longer welcomed here for some reason."

The current DJ wrapped up his set before Chloe could even reply to what Stacie said. The crowd immediately went wild as the house DJ took over the reins and Chloe felt her heart beating faster than ever before again.

And no, it wasn't thanks to the beats that had everyone hitting the dance floor.

But yes, it was for the same reason why Aubrey and Stacie's jaws literally dropped on the floor.

It was Beca.

No doubt about it.

From the way she so seamlessly mixed song after song, setting the dance floor on fire with her wicked beats to the same air of confidence and that tiny little smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

The three of them pretty much sat silently still, completely stunned.

The rest of the night was somewhat lost to the heavy consumption of alcohol.

How else was one to deal with the apparent discovery that the person you have loved for as long as you can remember is actually alive and not dead?

It wasn't until the three former Bellas stepped outside, ready to leave that Chloe's senses started returning to her.

And the most important thought hit her.

Beca was alive.

"Hey Red!"

Chloe, Stacie, and Aubrey all looked back to see the tiny DJ walking behind her.

"I think you dropped this at the bar earlier." Beca said, handing her a charm bracelet that Chloe was wearing for the night.

"Uh, thanks." Chloe replied in a daze.

"So, you sure you're not one of my groupies?" Beca commented, her tone resembling the usual smugness that the three former Bellas have known for so long.

"Oh, they just moved here." Stacie quickly covered, trying to disguise her initial shock from earlier as well as she could. "So, you're the house DJ, right? My name's Stacie, these are my friends, Aubrey and Chloe."

"Right, well I'm Beca. Anyways, um, hope you guys enjoyed your time tonight."

"Y-yeah, you're quite talented." Aubrey chimed in.

"Thanks." Beca mumbled, before looking back on the streets, a black Mercedes pulling over. "That would be my ride. I guess I'll see you around."

"Wait." Chloe manage to say before Beca turned around and left.

"Yeah?"

"Uh…" Chloe wasn't entirely sure what to say next. She was just sure she didn't want Beca to leave again.

So Chloe tried her best to form words but nothing.

Instead she just stood there looking at Beca with yearning. Her heart has been aching for the last five years, and now there she was, well within her reach.

But Chloe knew, the vacant look in Beca's eyes told her everything she needed to know.

She's never been further away from the DJ.

The distance never so great until then.

Only making her heart ache even more.

"Sorry Red, but I'm kind of spoken for." Beca commented before finally getting in her ride.

Aubrey and Stacie stood there confused, exchanging looks before looking back at Chloe.

"Well, she's a little more perceptive than _our_ Beca." Aubrey commented. "Maybe it's not her after all."

"Yeah, Bree. Because what are the odds of Beca having someone who looks exactly like her, sounds exactly like her, and has the same name as her who just happens to be some genius DJ?" Stacie retorted.

"Yes, well, nothing makes sense. How can she be Beca?"

"But it is her Bree." Chloe mumbled, her eyes glistening with the tears that kept threatening to fall. "It's her Bree, in each and every way."

Chloe didn't sleep much that night.

Her thoughts only on Beca.

She was listening to the DJ's earlier mixes again. Questions popping in her head?

How was Beca alive?

Her body was never found, so there was that.

Who found her?

How does she know her name was Beca? Given that she might not have the same last name now.

And if someone found her, why did this person never tell anyone? Not her parents at the very least?

Beca also said she was spoken for…

…so yeah, maybe that was breaking Chloe's heart into the tiniest bits and pieces…

…but who was it? Was it the same person who found her?

And does she really have amnesia?

That was plausible, right?

Chloe doesn't know.

She wasn't sure.

Beca was alive.

But was  _her_  Beca still alive somewhere in there too?

Only time would tell.


	7. You Have Some Explaining to Do!?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm switching over to Jesse with this one. On that note, please don't hate on Jesse, he's a nice guy here. ;)
> 
> Thanks for all the support so far!

The next day, Chloe and Aubrey found themselves sitting in Jesse's living room. Jesse's fiancée, a sweet girl named Alice, let them in before leaving for work. Stacie couldn't join them as duty calls for her too.

Jesse looked at the two former Bellas with a bit of uncertainty. Chloe looked hurt and betrayed.

And there never was anything more heartbreaking than seeing the redhead like that.

A sharp contrast to that was Aubrey, who was glaring at him with full force anger.

And nothing in this world was scarier than an angry Aubrey Posen.

"What can I do for you ladies?" Jesse greeted them, deciding to fake a smile on his face, the two were clearly upset about something.

"So I hear you took your girlfriend out on a date once at that club on third?" was Aubrey's opening line.

And with that, Jesse knew what the two were upset about.

"Ah, so you saw her then." Jesse said before taking a deep breath looking incredibly apologetic.

"Care to explain yourself?" Aubrey pressed on.

Jesse glanced quickly between the two ladies unsure where to start.

"Look, I don't know much." Jesse started. "We went there, Alice and I, and I saw the house DJ, recognizing her at once as… well... Beca…"

"Aha! So you admit it! And you never told us anything, you lying, scheming…" Aubrey started before Chloe decided to cut her off.

"Let him talk Bree."

"But Chloe…"

"We don't know the whole truth." Chloe reasoned. "You were saying Jess."

"Well, I tried doing some investigating of my own." Jesse started. "I tried approaching her that night, but she was incredibly popular and she had bodyguards hidden everywhere."

"Wait, what?" Chloe asked interrupted.

"Yeah, I found that out the hard way a little later on." Jesse continued. "Anyways, I dropped by the club at an earlier time the next day to speak with the manager or someone that had anything on the DJ. I said I was a fan. Apparently, said DJ _is_  the owner of the club, well, her and her… er…"

"Whoever it is she's with now." Chloe finished for Jesse.

Jesse nodded. He didn't want to say anything that would upset Chloe even more.

Especially because he knew.

He knew how much Chloe loved Beca.

He's always known.

And yes, it was selfish of him to try and hold on to whatever he and Beca had for as long as he could, even when he could see the DJ had fallen for the redhead too.

Until, of course he realized he was standing in the way of something true, something he wanted to find someday too.

And he understood he had to step aside and give way.

So when he saw Beca again, alive and well, he figured it would be the best way to right his wrongs.

Bring her back to her family and her friends.

To Chloe.

"I tried to find out more, but I couldn't. So, Alice and I went back to the club with some friends. When I spotted Beca, I decided to keep my eye on her until she was alone, but apparently that was a rare chance. Anyways, I seized the opportunity when it finally arrived, that's how her bodyguards ended up hauling my ass out of the club, banning me for good."

"How come, what happened?" Aubrey asked.

"I tried approaching Beca, but she didn't recognize me, I tried getting her attention again and when I did manage to grab her hand I was hauled away." Jesse elucidated.

"But why does she have bodyguards?" Chloe exclaimed. "She didn't have body guards around when we bumped into each other in the record store."

"Oh, they're probably around, you just didn't see them. Apparently, Beca's current paramour is from an influential and powerful family. I don't know much about the details, I only have a name." Jesse said. "And hang on, you met her at the record store? Which record store?"

"The one near our place, and yeah we had a bit of interaction." Chloe answered.

"How is she?" Jesse dared to ask, unsure how Chloe would react.

From what he could tell, the redhead was very sensitive about the subject.

And Jesse couldn't blame her.

"Typical Beca, only you know, I'm not sure she knows that." Chloe answered truthfully.

Jesse was about to ask her what her interaction with Beca was like but Aubrey groaned before Jesse could say anything else. "Can we go back on topic here? What's the name Swanson?" Aubrey demanded.

"Dr. Alex von Albrecht I believe, if I heard the manager of the club correctly."

"Oh boy." Aubrey then let out.

"What? Do you know something Bree?"

"I've heard the last name before. If I'm not mistaken, the head of the family is an incredibly powerful business magnate. He's got two children, a lawyer – my dad's had dealings with their firm – and a doctor – apparently their family also has a few private hospitals around the world."

"So Beca's in bed with powerful people. Excellent, now we know why Beca's able to live her life without any of us knowing for the last five years." Chloe said, her tone rising with every word she said.

Aubrey tried to calm Chloe down, tears welling up in her eyes all while Jesse wasn't sure what to do.

What Jesse did know with all certainty was that Chloe was trying to deal with this the best she could, sort herself out with all her emotions.

He went through the same phase.

Because Jesse knew for sure that the girl he saw was Beca.

He just couldn't get near her to confirm everything.

"You still should have told us Swanson." Aubrey then said.

"Well I didn't want to build your hopes up. What if in the end it wasn't Beca? I would have taken her away from you a second time around if that were the case." Jesse argued.

"Yes, but we could have done something." Aubrey persisted.

"Like what Bree?" Chloe scoffed.

Aubrey was about to reason to Chloe when Jesse decided to cut her off. "Like getting her back… to us… to you."

Chloe looked at him confused and at a loss, Aubrey a little too. But Jesse was on a roll so he decided to go with it. "I'm sorry Chloe. I feel responsible for this. If I never stepped in, if I didn't… Chloe, you and Beca belong to each other, I see that now. So yeah, you have my help. We're going to win Beca back." Jesse said, his voice calm and resolute.

It was the only way for him to right his wrongs.

Especially now that there was new hope.

Because Beca should come back to where she belongs.

To who she was supposed to be with.

Chloe nodded gently but unsure. "But what if she's happy with her life now?"

"Chloe, her life now is a lie if she's not living the truth." Jesse argued.

"So we'll find Beca? Fight for her?" Chloe asked.

"If it's the last thing we do Chloe." Jesse reassured her. "Will bring our Beca home."


	8. Remix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chance encounter at a record store leads Chloe to Beca yet again, and this time they spend the rest of the afternoon together. Beca trying to figure out the redhead and Chloe trying to get to know who Beca was now…
> 
> …only to find out that she’s still the Beca she fell in love with ages ago.
> 
> And Chloe finds herself falling all over again for the DJ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for all the comments and such. Here's the next chapter (because clearly I have an addiction to writing).
> 
> Sorry for the rough first few chapters, and for the dramatic start too (I'm starting to think the plot of this story can be used for a soap :P).
> 
> And I do apologize for breaking Chloe's heart (and by extension yours) in every chapter so far...
> 
> But yeah, it gets more of an up and down battle from here.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the Bechloe moments in this one.
> 
> The song Beca sings here is called 'Always' by James Arthur.

Chloe was restless for the rest of the day. Not being busy with work sometimes sucked, Chloe still had a week to settle down before she starts in her new job – she was to teach music in an exclusive private school. It especially sucked when you're trying to keep your mind busy, when you're trying to avoid thinking about things.

Beca was alive.

Someone from a powerful family by some strange luck found her.

And she's living a new life.

All for the last five years.

And for all of those five years she doesn't even remember who she was.

At Aubrey's suggestion – mostly because she was being driven insane by Chloe's constant pacing – Chloe decided to leave their apartment and do some exploring.

And that's how Chloe found herself in yet another record store, somewhere a little farther away from their building this time.

Chloe found herself, strangely enough, exploring inside the record store when she again spots a record that Beca had mentioned to her once. She smiled to herself, shaking her head at the thought of finding yet another one of Beca's record recommendations before reaching out to grab it.

And again her hands meet someone else's.

Chloe looked up and smiled this time, the shock of the initial meeting finally starting to ebb away. Instead, the familiar warmth that had been missing in her life was slowly returning to claim its rightful place in her heart.

It was bittersweet at the moment, true, but she'll rather have bittersweet than nothing.

And to have Beca smirking at her again was something she'll treasure, whether or not the tiny DJ remembers her.

"I'm starting to strongly believe that I have a new redheaded stalker." Beca commented.

"Well, I'm sorry to have good tastes in music." Chloe retorted, trying to push away the uncertainties that were taking her over.

"Ah, so she speaks!"

"Sorry, was just tired from before. Tired and drunk."

Beca chuckled. "Can't deny that you're right about that, both the taste in music and being drunk the other night." Beca said as she let go of the record once again to let Chloe have it.

"Oh no you can totes have this." Chloe said giving it back. Beca looked at her curiously but she gladly accepted it.

Beca made her way towards the register and looked back at Chloe who tried to busy herself with the records in front of her. Chloe knew, letting Beca go now felt so wrong, but what was she to do?

She couldn't just force the past on Beca.

That would be wrong.

"So what are you doing here Red?" Beca called out, and Chloe lifted her head up to see Beca making her way back to her.

"Just exploring the neighborhood. How about you?"

"Dodging my babysitters." Beca commented which made Chloe laugh a little.

"You're babysitters?" Chloe repeated before remembering what Jesse said and figured it out. "You have bodyguards?"

"Yeah." Beca replied. "I thought you'd know that since, you know, you're my stalker and all. I mean you did know who I was."

"I am not your stalker." Chloe replied indignantly. "Because you know, if I am, I would have totally broken into your shower by now." she added, mostly to test the waters and see how Beca would react.

"Why do I have a feeling that that's something you've done before?" Beca asked amused. "And you didn't answer my question, how do you know me?"

Chloe looked down, she wasn't sure how to approach this topic. She bit her lip before looking back at Beca whose gaze never left Chloe's eyes.

Not even for a minute, no.

Chloe looked at her questioningly prompting Beca to shake her head. "Sorry, it's just that your eyes are so incredibly blue." she heard her say.

"All the better to charm you with my dear." Chloe replied. "Sorry, I know you said you were already spoken for." she quickly added.

"No, that's fine." Beca said brushing it off. "You still haven't answered my question though. Quit dodging. So how do you know me Red?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that you looked like someone I knew and she had the same name? And you can call me Chloe, you know."

The tiny DJ nodded before thinking about what Chloe said about how she knew her. "I might." Beca found herself admitting. "Care to join me for a while? I have nothing to do and it would be more fun to have some company. I mean, if you're free. You seem like good company."

Chloe considered the offer for a moment. She was hesitant to say yes, afraid she'll just end up blurting things out, but this was her chance to get to know Beca, the Beca she didn't get to know for the past five years, and if it would help to bring her memories back... "Sure."

Chloe was glad she said yes.

The two of them spent the afternoon in a typical Beca and Chloe way.

As best they could at least.

Beca was Beca, in each and every way that Chloe could remember her to be. From her taste in music to her distaste in movies.

The redhead asked questions whose answers she already knew, wanting to know if the loss of memory has changed anything in Beca and avoiding any serious question that may seem like Chloe's pushing for more information.

But nothing changed.

They were all still the same.

And Chloe found that some things in life truly does endure.

More than that, it's like she's getting to know Beca all over again. Starting all over again from scratch.

Chloe found herself falling in love with Beca all over again.

They visited a music store, Beca grabbing a few instruments – apparently she's a good friend of the store owner so they let them 'play' around the store – and started playing familiar songs that Chloe couldn't help but wonder if Beca knew, if she remembered.

"So how did you know you wanted to be a DJ?" Chloe asked, while sitting in a coffee shop with Beca, finally getting tired from all the walking and running around.

Beca looked thoughtful for a moment before sporting on her usual smirk. "I don't know, I'm not sure. I just, I've always been drawn to music."

"Oh." Chloe murmured and Beca gave her a curious look.

"You seem like you want to know more than that Red."

"Just curious, and I said you can call me Chloe."

"Well, Chloe, how about you? How did you know you wanted to teach music?"

"Guess I've always just loved music." Chloe simply answered.

But it only earned her a very curious look on Beca.

"Why do I have a feeling you're not telling me something?" Beca asked but Chloe simply shrugged. She didn't want to just throw it all in Beca's face, she was still trying to piece things together.

"Oh Ms. Mitchell!" a man, Chloe presumed to be the manager, said as he approached the table.

Beca smiled at him as he approached but she didn't miss the brief reaction that flashed in Chloe's eyes.

Because Chloe was surprised. She hasn't asked yet, but apparently Beca knew her real name. Her full real name.

So what did Beca know?

And what didn't she know?

Has she truthfully lost her memory or not?

Questions kept flooding back into Chloe's mind, only to be snapped out of it by Beca's question.

"Hey Red, I mean Chloe, you okay if I excuse myself for a while?"

"Huh, oh yeah, sure." Chloe mumbled.

She was a little bit curious as to why Beca was following the manager towards the tiny little stage on the corner of the shop but apparently the coffee shop hosted a few performances and open mics.

That's when Chloe understood, Beca was probably a regular costumer at the coffee shop and the manager asked her to play something. Something proven to be true when Beca grabbed the guitar near the mic stand and started playing a song.

For a while Chloe found herself immersed in the music. Beca's voice was just as she remembered it.

So yeah, she was falling for Beca all over again.

 _Well, let me paint you a picture_  
_introduce some non-fiction_  
_and you can watch how the truth unfolds_

 _and I will wait till the morning_  
_and you can tell me how nightmares,_  
_they don't visit you in your dreams_

And so when Beca looked over Chloe's direction, she felt the surge of butterflies taking her over again.

The paradox of breathing and losing your breath at the same time.

The electricity starting to flow like blood through her veins.

For once in a long time, Chloe felt alive again.

 _and as you walk out the door_  
_you will tell me that I'm right_  
_and I will ask you, "just what for?"_

 _and you will tell me that tonight_  
_that I'm the one to keep you warm_  
_and I will look at you and smile_

So maybe that was why Chloe totally missed a rather gorgeous blonde walking in the coffee shop and sitting at a table behind hers. Beaming and looking totally enamored by the tiny DJ on stage.

 _and you will tell me that I'm everything that you wanted,_  
_that you needed,_  
_everything, that you wanted,_  
_that you needed_  
_and you don't want me to go away_  
_baby I'm here to stay_  
_always_  
_always_

Chloe watched as Beca finished her song and the DJ smirked at the redhead before making her back to their table.

Only to be swept up in a tight embrace by the said blonde that Chloe didn't notice at all.

"Alex, didn't know you'll be back today." Beca muttered in shock before the blonde kissed her.

Chloe tuned out the rest of the exchange afterwards. Jealousy taking over her completely.

Jealousy that she tried to bury deep down.

She was sure that Beca introduced her as a friend to a Dr. Alex von Albrecht before they parted ways.

With Beca insisting for Chloe to have the record she bought earlier. "I bought this for you, I already have three copies anyways." Beca said in a low whisper before turning to leave and Chloe simply nodded and smiled as she accepted the gift.

Her thought only circling back to the gorgeous blonde.

What is it with Beca and blondes?

At least she was less intimidating than the DSM she-wolf.

But something told Chloe that her angelic appearance only made her a more dangerous enemy in vying for Beca's affection.


	9. A Past Not Worth Remembering?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca decided five years ago - after waking up with amnesia - that a past she can't remember no matter how hard she tries may not be a past worth remembering...
> 
> ...but after meeting Chloe, Beca has herself questioning that very decision.
> 
> Because the redhead was definitely making her believe that some things are worth never forgetting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 'Cause someone asked for an update, here is the next chapter. I'm switching to Beca in this one (and I'll delve more into some details in the coming chapters of Beca's missing years... sort of...).
> 
> I'm a bit busy with work/study stuff... I usually try to update everyday (or every other day) since I'm aiming for ~25 chapters and I don't like leaving people hanging... but if I don't update sooner than expected, said work/study stuff is the reason why.
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews so far and for following the story too! I appreciate all comments. And if you have any suggestions, just let me know ;) (for this fic and the sequel to 'Make a Wish' 'cause that's still definitely coming... SPOILER: You'll definitely hate Jerk-Jesse even more in that).
> 
> I don't own pitch perfect.

"Huh, what?" Beca said in response to something that Alex said as the brilliant and beautiful doctor was busy showing off with her cooking skills, making Beca dinner.

"I said, where'd you meet the redhead?" Alex asked yet again.

Beca hummed in response, she didn't want to say they just met but she didn't want to lie to Alex too. "Oh you know, we're both into music and stuff."

Alex gave her curious look but Beca simply shrugged. "And the reason why you were dodging Bash and the rest? You said you were okay with having bodyguards given my family's stature."

"Yes, but lately I feel like they're more your spies than my bodyguards." Beca said a little harshly

Which totally rubbed Alex the wrong way. "Beca!" she said indignantly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that."

"You were the one who said that you…" Alex started to say before sighing deeply.

"I said I'm sorry. I just, they're kind of you know…"

"Yeah, I get it. I had to grow up having them around." Alex said, her mood changing. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just tired. How's France?"

"As enchanting as ever. Would've been better if you were with me."

"Yeah, sorry for dodging at the last minute. Duty calls."

"You mean music?" Alex said with a chuckle. "Sometimes, Beca, I think you love music more than me."

Beca simply shook her head and smirked. "You can't be jealous of something as abstract and general as music, now can you?"

"I can be jealous of a redhead who shares your passion with music though." Alex said truthfully.

"Chloe?" Beca asked. "I don't even know her last name."

"That's actually more worrying." Alex then said. "Look Beca, I know you said…"

"You're worried about that?" Beca scoffed. "I made a decision. You're going to question it now? Five years later? Alex, seriously, stop stressing about it." she said reassuringly.

Although Beca felt like she was more or less telling a lie.

"If you're really as disinterested in the past as you claim, you'd welcome my offer to move to France, or London. My family has properties there."

"I don't want to leave LA, Alex. I feel like this is where I belong." Beca argued, they've had this discussion before. Beca was adamant about not leaving, but Alex kept pushing saying if she wanted to start a new, might as well be in a new place, a new country. "I'm not hungry. I'll be in my studio." she said before storming off.

Beca closed her door as soon as she got in her studio, she slumped down her chair, headphones placed over her ears, before she finally started to do some mixing. It was what she did when she wanted to clear her thoughts.

Because for whatever reason Alex decided to be a little more protective and overbearing than always now.

But Beca knew she can't stay mad at her for long.

She's always been grateful for her and for all her help.

Beca could remember it well, waking up one day, feeling all cold and shivering despite the alarmingly high fever she had.

She was scared, and frightened.

She had no memory to boot, and so she had no idea what she was doing in someone's rather large bedroom when she woke up.

But thankfully Alex was there.

She was calm and nurturing. Kind and beautiful.

And she took care of her and nurtured her back to health though it took some time.

She remembered it quite well.

Five years ago.

"What's this?" Beca had asked when Alex handed her a brown envelop, about a month after the incident, Beca's health finally bouncing back.

"It's how I found out that you're name's Rebecca Mitchell."

Beca groaned. "Call me Beca."

"Fine, Beca." Alex said with a chuckle. "It's everything my people can find on you."

"You have a dossier on me?" Beca asked, quite impressed.

"Well yes, you did wake up without a memory. Still can't remember anything?"

"You tell me Dr. von Albrecht. You're the one who ought to know more than me in this, I'm you're patient."

"You've been through quite an endeavor, Beca." Alex started and Beca smirked.

"I know. So here's my two cents." Beca then said, handing the brown envelop back to Alex. "If my past is worth remembering, if anything in it is worth remembering, then shouldn't it find a way back to me? Make me remember? Have things come back naturally?"

Of course this was her thoughts after a whole month of being incredibly frustrated about not remembering anything.

Beca wasn't exactly the patient kind of person.

And Alex was kind of a dazzling person to be around.

She didn't want to just say goodbye right then and there.

She didn't like the idea of Alex simply getting rid of her either.

Because she was all that Beca knew at that moment.

"Beca, what are you saying?"

"I don't want to remember something that doesn't feel right or natural. What I mean is, even if I open this now, I won't know who I am. It won't feel right. Immersing myself in a world I've left behind and have it feel so strange and unfamiliar. It won't feel right. And what if my memory never returns? I'll be living a lie even if it's the truth." Beca replied.

Truth be told though, Beca was saying all of that because she was still scared with not remembering anything, and she didn't want anyone to see that. She hated being treated like a baby, but Alex was Alex. She was the one thing she knew and she trusted, the one thing that was familiar since the accident.

And sometimes fear outweighs any rational thought.

"But Beca, what about the people you've left behind?" Alex asked, more out of a curiosity and a little less out of concern, Beca thought. "They think you're dead."

"You've had this dossier with you for how long and you haven't contacted them?"

"I…" Alex answered at a loss from Beca's question. "People who give up so soon on others don't deserve those they lose. That's what I believe in. Look, people pretty much gave up on the search after the storm, but some families kept on continuing the search. Even those without sufficient funds, they're doing whatever they can to find closure."

"And what did my friends and family do?" Beca asked, sounding uncertain if she wanted to hear the answer.

Alex looked hesitant at first to answer Beca's question, but she obliged. "They buried you." she said with such ease.

"Oh." Beca said, her voice sounding a little brokenhearted. "So I guess I have no place after all."

"Don't say that Beca, you'll always have a place here with me." Alex reasoned.

And Beca believed in that whole heartedly.

It wasn't until she saw the redhead staring at her at the record store, looking at her as if she's seen a ghost, that she started questioning her decisions.

Alex had her convinced that her family and friends easily said goodbye.

Gave up on her.

From the manner Alex spoke and with her every words she believed it.

And when Alex offered her the world she could offer, including her heart, Beca accepted it.

Bodyguards and all.

Because Beca trusted her with all her heart, not thinking of the past for a good while.

Although for some reason she felt the need to stay deeply rooted in music, like it was her last lifeline, the last thread connecting her to something...

...someone...

...very important to her.

And so Beca was troubled by her decisions now.

Especially every time her thoughts circle back to Chloe.

If the people she's left behind truly gave up on her, why did the redhead look like she was on the verge of tears?

Speechless as she never took her eyes off Beca?

Why did it hurt? Why did it ache?

Why did Beca feel so drawn to her?

And when they spoke with each other, why did it feel so natural?

So right?

And when she asked how she knew her, Beca could tell Chloe was careful with her words. Like she knew who Beca was, the Beca that she herself couldn't remember. But instead of throwing it out to her, she spent the whole afternoon just trying to get to know the Beca that was right in front of her.

As if she was well aware of how fragile she could be despite the tough exterior she puts up.

And Chloe was careful despite whatever storm she was facing inside too – because Beca could tell that a storm was raging on inside Chloe, quite possibly not being able to say what she could have really wanted to say.

"Who are you Chloe?" Beca said, as she leaned on her seat. "Did you really give up on me?"

But somewhere in Beca's mind something told her that Chloe has never given up on her.

And maybe her friends and family just felt hopeless, desperate.

They wanted closure, because it hurt so much that they couldn't move on without it.

And maybe even after they had closure, there was still a part of them where they kept Beca alive.

Beca never thought of that before, never saw it like that before.

And again, for once in the last five years, Beca has found herself questioning her past decision.

Maybe her past isn't worth forgetting.

Why else would her path keep crossing Chloe's, and purely by chance?

Maybe something was worth remembering after all.

Maybe some people make recovering past memories that were seemingly lost forever worth it.


	10. Who You Gonna' Call?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because when your best friend finds herself falling in love all over again with someone she's never stopped loving, all you can do is help her out a little...
> 
> ...whether or not she approves of it.
> 
> Luckily, Aubrey knows just who to call as she gathered reinforcements for her important operation ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the chapter title. It's just, you know, it's the Bellas chapter (although I'm focusing on Aubrey's narrative).
> 
> I'm totally thinking 'Ghostbusters' every time I read the chapter title :)
> 
> Anyways might be some shenanigans involved in this one. Or you know, the planning of shenanigans to come.
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews and comments so far! You guys are awesome :D
> 
> I don't own pitch perfect.

Chloe went home that night in a confused and thoughtful state.

Which naturally made Aubrey curious as to why.

"So you bought another record? Are we starting a collection now?" Aubrey asked as soon as Chloe settled in the living room with her.

"No." Chloe started to say. "I mean, I didn't buy that."

"If you're starting to absentmindedly rob every record store you enter…"

Chloe chuckled, interrupting what Aubrey was saying. "No Bree, Beca bought that for me."

"Okay, just so that we're clear." Aubrey then said, adjusting her position on the coach after pausing the movie she was watching before Chloe got back. "Beca, the same Beca the DJ we've found and discovered to be alive, bought you this record?"

Chloe nodded. "We bumped into each other at some other record store a few blocks away and we just sort of reached out for the same record again. It's her Bree, it really is. We got a chance to talk and stuff, exploring the city and all. Everything about her is the same. Nothing changed."

"Well, where is she now? You should've invited her for dinner, slowly bring her back to our fold."

"Yeah well, when we finally got tired, we decided to go to this little coffee shop three blocks away. And guess who picked her up? Her incredibly perfect and angelic girlfriend, that doctor Jesse mentioned." Chloe replied. Aubrey being Aubrey instantly recognized the traces of jealousy that laced her tone, no matter how hard Chloe tried to hide it.

"Alex von Albrecht." Aubrey inattentively said before humming.

Chloe looked at her curiously. "What? Bree, look at me, you look like you're scheming."

"Are you accusing me of having a set look when I'm scheming? Or for that matter that I make schemes?" Aubrey said with feign indignation.

Chloe laughed a little. "Yes. Come on Bree, I may not have ever mentioned it to the Bellas but I know you were the one who pulled out that prank during Halloween their junior year when you came to visit. They all blamed Beca for it. I can still remember seeing Amy and CR looking so terrified."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Aubrey said, feigning innocence as she resumed her earlier position and un-paused the movie.

Aubrey sat thoughtful throughout the rest of the night, letting Chloe gush on and on about Beca.

It wasn't something new. She's done this whole thing before, ever since Chloe met Beca that is.

And truth be told, it was a welcomed change from the silence that has taken over Chloe the last five years.

Aubrey could tell, it was like something breathed life back to Chloe.

And Aubrey was happy about it.

More than that, from Chloe's stories, she knew that the tiny DJ she had grown to actually care for is alive, without a memory, but alive.

What Aubrey wasn't too happy about was the fact that Beca was found by an incredibly powerful family.

A family that could have very easily helped Beca to find her way back to her real family, the Bellas, and to Chloe.

Something wasn't quite right there.

So Aubrey decided to take matters to hand.

Because more than anything else, what was clear, what was evident, was that Chloe was still in love with Beca.

Not that she ever stopped loving her.

Just that she was falling in love with her all over again.

And they might have a truly difficult nemesis to take down in terms of fighting for Beca's heart.

Aubrey left early the next day chalking up some sort of work-related reason to Chloe as to why she had to be somewhere at seven in the morning on a Sunday.

Chloe didn't buy a single word she said but the blonde noted that her best friend probably chalked it up to some secret rendezvous at Stacie's apartment.

Not that it was far from the truth.

It was just, whatever it was that Chloe was thinking that they'd be doing so early in the morning wasn't exactly why she was in Stacie's apartment at that moment.

And it wasn't until Jesse opened the door to let Amy in that Aubrey realized they haven't exactly told the Bellas that their former fun-sized fearless leader was actually alive. They didn't even consider how they would react to it.

"Stace, how are we going to handle this?" Aubrey whispered all frazzled as soon as Amy settled down on the couch, completing the Bellas, while Jesse pulled a chair from the dining area to have a seat.

"Well, how about we just rip off the band aid?" Stacie suggested.

Their little exchange didn't go unnoticed though.

"Are you two finally admitting you're in a relationship?" Amy piped up and said. "Awesome! Come on you pitches, you each owe me twenty."

"Hang on a second, you were also betting on us?" Aubrey asked sounding a little shocked. "I mean, I knew about the Beca and Chloe bet, but seriously guys!"

"Yeah, and that's not even why we gathered you all here today." Stacie added.

CR chuckled. "Well, is it true though?"

Silence.

Aubrey didn't quite know how to respond to that.

Chloe's teasing was one thing.

The rest of the Bellas were a different matter.

Jesse then cleared his throat sensing that the two former Bellas had no idea how to calm down the unexpected clamor of the rest of the former Bellas. Thankfully, that got everyone to settle down.

"So what is this about then?" Emily asked.

"It's about Mitchell." Aubrey started, her tone starting to sound serious.

"What about Shawshank?" Amy asked, shooting a quick glance at the former Treble in the room, Stacie, and Aubrey.

"Did… did people finally find her… you know…?" Jessica voiced out uncertainly.

"Sort of?" Stacie responded and Aubrey patted her girlfriend's shoulder, her way of saying that she's got this.

"Mitchell is… well… before you react please let me finish whatever I'm going to say, sounds good?" Aubrey started and all the Bellas nodded in unison.

Aubrey took a deep breath before looking back at Jesse and Stacie for support. The two nodded, urging her on.

"Beca's alive." Aubrey said before taking a pause to look at everyone else's reaction. A mixture of gasps and wide-eyed looks expressed their surprise but nevertheless the Bellas kept their promise and let Aubrey go on.

And so Aubrey went on and recounted their earlier encounters with Beca, including Chloe's. Jesse providing his own side of the story too after Aubrey.

The Bellas remained silent throughout the whole thing, absorbing every piece of knowledge being given to them.

"So why are we hear now? Why don't we just go to Beca and drag her back here, make her remember?" Ashley suggested.

"Because that would be a bad idea on so many levels." Stacie answered. "One, we don't know how Beca will react to the whole thing. Two, what part of powerful family isn't clear? If Beca is leaving the life she's known for the last five years, if she's going to find a way to include us in her life now, it has to be of her own volition."

"So what are we doing here now?" Flo asked.

"We're going to find out what exactly happened to Mitchell. We'll piece this story together and get her back." Aubrey answered.

"Right, that's why from now on this place will be HQ. We can do our own digging on the sides all the while helping Chloe the best we could whenever and if ever she needs our help with Beca." Jesse added.

"Operation get our shorty back?" CR asked and the three masterminds nodded.

"So if everyone's in, how about we start assigning missions?" Aubrey then said.

All the Bellas nodded eagerly.

They will get their answers.

And bring Beca back home.

One way or another.


	11. The Beginnings of a Classic Love Story... With a Twist...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because memory or no memory Beca could never ever stay away from Chloe...
> 
> ...and Beca would always mean the world to Chloe...
> 
> ...even the Bellas can see that much is true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some shenanigans may be depicted/suggested below...
> 
> The song Beca sings is called "Ain't Nothing to It" by James Arthur and the song Chloe sings is "First Heartbreak" by Tori Kelly.

Chloe's first day with her job couldn't have gone any better. Sure, she asked for some time to adjust with the move and she couldn't start as soon as the school wanted, but her students and coworkers easily warmed up to her.

And Chloe did pretty well too, for her part.

That is, despite being constantly distracted by the thoughts of Beca. She hasn't seen the DJ since the day they spent together, but then again, she wasn't exactly sure if she'll ever see Beca again.

So it was a pleasant surprise when she saw the rather famous DJ in the middle of a group of high school students. Apparently – as made clear to her by one of the students in her class – she borrowed his guitar and just started playing a song to pass the time.

 _If this was wrong, then I say so long_  
_But I'll take this chance on your sweet, sweet love_  
_Cause I need someone who knows my ways_  
_Who knows my name_

 _She knows my ways and she's all I want_  
_Never once started doubting_  
_She knows my ways and I know her love is as pure as fountains_  
_She's all I want and I won't let them take you away_  
_I won't let them take you away_  
_I won't let them take you away_

 _I won't go back to that_  
_See I'm too old to pass up the chance_  
_And I love you, no doubt about that_  
_Still paralyzed_

_Ain't na, na, nothing to it_

"Beca?" Chloe said and the DJ looked up, sporting her usual smirk, before handing back the guitar to the guy she borrowed it from. Chloe cleared up the small crowd surrounding them as she made her way to her car, Beca following suit. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you have any idea how many people have the name Chloe in LA?" was Beca's response.

"And what does that supposed to mean?" Chloe said with a chuckle.

Beca shrugged. "It meant that you didn't make it easy for me to track you down Ms. Beale."

"And why on earth would you be looking for me? 'Sides, where are your bodyguards? Your girlfriend?"

"I'm allowed to have friends outside of Bash and his incredibly intimidating buddies. And Alex is busy."

"Bash?"

"The head of my security." Beca mumbled.

"How did you even get here?" Chloe asked, still astounded.

Not that she wasn't incredibly happy about the fact that Beca went on all the trouble she did just to look for her.

"I hailed a cab Red." Beca answered straight-faced. "Anyways, I'm free for the rest of the day and I am utterly bored so if you don't mind, can we hang out or something?"

Chloe laughed a little. "You're unbelievable. You hijacked me in my workplace all for that? What if I'm actually busy tonight?"

"Well, are you?"

"Yeah, we're having friends over for dinner."

"We?" Beca pried.

"Yeah, me and my roommate, Aubrey."

"Oh right, the blonde." Beca muttered. "Do you have to do anything between then and now? We can also just hang out in your place if you want, I mean, if you need to get ready or something. I kinda' just don't want to go back home and be bored right now."

Chloe considered the thought for a few minutes, leaning back on her car as she glanced at Beca, biting her lip out of habit. Hanging out with Beca sounded like a perfect dream, but if the Bellas catch her…

…how were they going to react?

They haven't exactly told them.

But then again Aubrey was being all sneaky. Stacie too.

And Chloe was sure it's not about the status of their relationship.

So maybe the Bellas knew?

"We're burning daylight here Beale."

"Oh, fine. Come on then." Chloe caved. Mostly because Beca was doing her usual smug act that strangely enough Chloe found adorable on her.

Having Beca in her apartment felt a little surreal, Chloe was sure of it.

A part of her was also a little thankful that Aubrey wasn't home yet.

She was also thankful that there weren't any pictures of the Bellas or anything that Beca was in on display, Chloe wasn't sure how to deal with it otherwise.

There were, however, a good amount of pictures of her and Beca on display in her room. As soon as Chloe asked Beca to make herself at home, she made a mad dash to her room to temporarily get rid of the evidence.

She didn't want a confrontation of sorts just in case.

She still wasn't sure how Beca will react.

As soon as she got rid of said evidence though, she found Beca leaning on her doorway. "What on earth are you up to Chlo?" she asked and for minute or two Chloe felt her heart jump out her chest because for that minute or two it felt like everything was how they should be.

Beca was in her space, in her life.

If only the circumstances were different.

"Uh, Chlo? I mean, you don't mind me calling you that right?" Beca asked as she stepped into the room.

"No, I mean, it's fine. Just remembered something totally not important." Chloe said, she was about to urge Beca to head back to the living room when she heard Aubrey opening the front door.

Yes, it was irrational but in Chloe's defense she sort of panicked.

So she closed her door instantly as soon she heard Aubrey call for her.

"And what's the problem now?" Beca asked amused with Chloe's jittery behavior as she sat down the edge of her bed.

"My roommate's here. A little earlier than she should be. She's probably here to pick something up she forgot. She's usually at work 'til six or seven."

"Wow, hardworking, huh?" Beca commented. "So what's with the closed door?"

"Oh, um…" Chloe mumbled but couldn't come up with anything so she just shrugged.

"Your roommate won't be particularly happy to see me here?" Beca asked and Chloe chuckled.

Boy, if Beca could only remember.

Truthfully though, Chloe was just not sure how Aubrey would react.

And there was a part of her that just wanted to keep Beca all to herself for now.

But before Chloe could come up with another response Beca found herself distracted with something else entirely, jumping up to reach Chloe's laptop to fiddle with a mixing software the redhead left open the night before. "You mix?" Beca asked astounded.

"Oh, um, yeah. A friend taught me how to." she answered truthfully. "I'm not that good though." Chloe added a little nervous when Beca grabbed her old headset and started listening to some mixes she found in a folder…

…her old mixes, and thankfully not Chloe's saved attempts at mixing.

Chloe would be mortified if Beca ended up listening to her own work.

They don't even compare to Beca's music magic.

For a moment or so Chloe got a dose of déjà vu, just watching Beca be in her element in her own room.

They were like that for a good half hour.

And Chloe couldn't have been happier.

"These are actually pretty good." Beca complimented.

"Those aren't mine. Those were my friend's. That's actually her old laptop." Chloe replied.

And Beca didn't miss the sadness in her voice.

Beca removed her old headphones, the ones that used to belong to her as well, and looked over at Chloe who was a little glassy eyed but she smiled nonetheless. And for a while the two of them were just staring at each other, steely blue eyes gazing into ocean blue ones.

"Who are you Chloe Beale?" Beca mumbled as she inched closer to her, eyes searching for some answer.

But Chloe simply smiled and shrugged.

"Why do I feel so drawn to you?" Beca added, still inching closer.

And Chloe could feel gravity pulling her closer too.

Except Chloe was well aware of the tell-tale signs, not about the falling more and more in love with Beca…

…well that too…

…but mostly the hushed scrapping sounds outside her door.

Apparently Beca noticed too. She shook her head, as if trying to shrug off whatever spell she was under, and looked at Chloe both curious and amused. She raised her hand, putting a finger on her lips to tell Chloe to keep quite as she crossed the little space between where she was standing and Chloe's doorway. Beca gently grabbed the doorknob, turning it slowly, before violently opening the door.

And in came the Bellas tumbling one by one as they crash landed into Chloe's room.

Beca chuckled while Chloe quirked an eyebrow at the one Bella left standing, Aubrey.

"I would assume these are your friends." Beca said amused, suppressing another chuckle as the Bellas all looked up and smiled at her sheepishly. As if nothing has changed at all…

"Do they always pry on your privacy?"

"You'd be surprised." Chloe truthfully answered before she realized that the Bellas just saw Beca again for the first time.

And panic was about to take her over but Stacie was quick to smooth things out, picking herself up and dusting herself off, taking the lead in trying not to make Beca uncomfortable with the situation. "Sorry, Bree noticed Chloe was locking herself up in her room and we just got worried."

"Right." Beca muttered, not totally buying it. "Well, I don't want to crash your party so I guess I'll see you around?" she said towards Chloe.

"Yeah, sure." the redhead replied.

"I'll call you."

"You don't have my number." Chloe reminded her.

"You sure about that? I have my methods Beale." Beca replied all smug before waving a goodbye and leaving.

As soon as Beca was gone, Chloe turned her attention to the Bellas, who had mixture of emotions flashing in their eyes.

Surprise, confusion, and fear… mostly of a possibly angry Chloe.

"You guys have some explaining to do." Chloe then said, adopting her 'fearless leader number 2' voice, as dubbed by the Bellas during the good ol' days.

So what was the first thing that Chloe said after hearing the Bellas insane plan?

"You guys are completely out of your league here. This isn't college, this is the real world. You can't possibly expect that your typically borderline crazy cooked up plans are going to work?"

"But she's  _our_  Beca." Emily reasoned but she stopped making arguments the moment Chloe shot her a murderous glare.

That didn't stop Emily like it used too though. Instead she decided to come up with a different way to voice out her thoughts, make Chloe understand. "I mean you used to come up with a good quarter of the Bellas' zany plans. Amy a good half with every one sharing…" Emily went on and on before Amy nudged her to keep her quiet and Emily rediscovered the fear of Chloe's 'death gaze' from before upon looking back at the redhead.

Chloe took a deep breath before responding to the Legacy's argument. "I know that Ems, but we can't win Beca if we get all insane and investigate things ourselves. I mean you guys even have Lilly hacking private servers that belong to incredibly wealthy people who, if you guys wanna bet, probably figured out by now that they were hacked! We can go to jail!" Chloe exclaimed, her face scrunching up at a passing comment that she heard from Flo before going on. "And… hang on, did you just say something about Benji messing with the local servers? How are you even… nope, don't tell me. I want full deniability."

"Well, they can also go to jail, 'cause you know, they know Beca's alive and all but they're pulling strings to keep that a secret." Ashley argued.

"Yes, but they have money to pay really good lawyers to get them out of jail. We don't." Chloe countered. "And by the way Bree, I can't believe you condoned this!"

"Desperate times Chlo. And don't worry, I have my own connections." Aubrey said to which Chloe gave her a quizzical look before she huffed and slumped down one of their armchairs.

"But seriously, how's DJ Shortstack?" Amy asked, it was a rare feat seeing and hearing the Australian as concerned as she was at the moment.

And Chloe sighed.

Beca was Beca.

No matter what happens.

She'll always be Beca.

The rest of the night was spent arguing the dubious legality of their private investigations and what they should do next.

Lilly suggested to just abduct Beca in the middle of the night and take her somewhere very far away.

Everyone vetoed that…

…technically everyone was very tempted to say yes…

…but Aubrey beat Chloe to the punch with giving them the 'death glare'.

Especially when Aubrey raised the fact that Alex von Albrecht would probably not let her out of her sight when at home, and though the rest of the Bellas had difficulties hearing Lilly's response to that, both Chloe and Aubrey heard it loud and clear and also vetoed that.

Amy suggested trying to woo the DJ all over again. And while that was the safest of all suggestions, and something Chloe was definitely considering, Amy's plans might have gotten a little carried away and so that was vetoed as well.

The carried away part only.

Chloe tried to convince her friends to let the natural course of things just unfold, and the Bellas all nodded in agreement, completely defeated.

The next three days showed the return of a normal pace of life for both Chloe and Aubrey. Chloe was a little disappointed though, that Beca hasn't shown up again.

Was jealousy consuming her every waking moment?

Absolutely yes.

The thought of Beca with the walking-talking supermodel-looking Alex was eating her alive.

Thankfully the Bellas were taking her mind off Beca every now and then.

And no, Chloe doesn't mean the Bellas were busy keeping her busy.

Chloe meant that she was still suspicious of her friends and their 'extra-curricular' activities.

Mostly because they gave up the fight a little too easily.

Four days pass.

No word from Beca.

And the thought of it was driving her mad.

Even more so than when she used to pine away for the DJ during their Barden days.

And even after Barden, thanks of course to the little voicemail she left behind five years ago.

The voicemail that had Chloe wondering what might've been, what could've been.

Chloe found herself in a nearby park that afternoon after school was over.

She wanted to clear her head, just listening to music, before she found herself singing along.

 _I wanna run, I wanna stay_  
_Hold every piece so it won't break_  
_Wanna let go, wanna hold tight_  
_Afraid that I might suffocate, you with my love_  
_How much is enough?_  
_How much is too safe?_

 _'Cause for the first time I get worried_  
_When I'm lookin' in your eyes_  
_That one day you might leave me_  
_And it keeps me up at night_  
_I guess that means I really love you_  
_'Cause I'm afraid to make mistakes_  
_If you ever left me that would be my first heartbreak_

"Wow Red, didn't know you can sing like that." she heard Beca said before she sat down next to Chloe on the park bench.

Chloe looked at her a little surprised and impressed with how she found her.

If she was looking for her.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find you when you leave a little earlier than expected as soon as classes are over? Especially when you keep ignoring your phone." the DJ said, coy smile and all.

Yeah she was definitely looking for her.

And that made Chloe a little giddy.

"I see the tables have turned. Who's the stalker now Mitchell?"

Beca's face flushed a red a bit before clearing her throat, acting a little flustered as she obviously tried to hide her cool. "Yeah, well, that's beside the point."

"What is the point then Beca?"

Beca looked down as soon as Chloe asked. Tilting her head to one side before quirking her lips to one side too. "I don't know, you tell me. Who are you Beale? Why do you make me feel…" Beca started to say before turning to face Chloe, steely blue eyes once again meeting ocean blue ones.

Chloe's breath hitched a little, her heart beating faster by the minute. "Feel what?" she dared ask, her voice a little shaky.

"I don't know." Beca answered truthfully, her voice barely a whisper. "But I do know I want to get to the bottom of it. I want to know who you are."

"Then get to know me." Chloe replied.

"That sounds good to me."


	12. Something Deeper than Memories and History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you heart knows more than what your mind can remember...
> 
> ...and you just can't ignore your heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doing double uploads! If you have any suggestions on what you want to see on upcoming chapters, let me know, I'm always welcome to those. You can also hit me up on tumblr (the hypotensivegrad).
> 
> Also, thanks to XanzerXIII for the inspiration of glasses-wearing Beca ;)

Her voice was like an angel's.

That much Beca knew.

And whenever they were alone together, God! There was that pull, a pull that no matter what Beca does she just couldn't fight off completely.

From day one she was a constant thought.

Even when Beca was shrugging it off.

But for some reason their paths kept crossing.

Making Beca think about her even more.

To the point that she pushed Bash, the head of her security and secret co-conspirator to her daring daylight escapes from her bodyguards, look into Chloe.

And although Beca has her info now, she couldn't compare it with anything Alex had on her own dossier…

…mostly because Beca acted brash in deciding that her past wasn't worth remembering if people stopped looking for her.

Which made Alex burn the files.

Well technically, Alex volunteered after asking if Beca's decision was final.

But now, she wished she didn't make that decision, didn't let whatever surge of hurt at the thought that the people who supposedly loved her simply gave up – well at least that was how Alex put it for her.

Yep, she regrets the decision.

Because now she wants to know.

Who was Chloe Beale, and why does she have this power over her?

Even her friends looked familiar…

…and what could've Chloe been rushing to hide?

Beca tried, she just wasn't sure how to fish for information without being direct, and she wasn't entirely sure about what to ask either.

Or for that matter how Chloe would react.

Because for whatever reason she didn't want to do anything that would hurt the redhead.

And there was a part of her too, a part of her that felt right, when she was sitting in the redhead's room tinkering with her friend's old laptop.

Which Beca was partly sure was her.

Like her intuition is trying to tell something in flashing neon lights but she just couldn't see clearly.

And which would mean the mixes she listened to were hers, her earlier ones.

Beca wasn't entirely sure what to feel about that.

"You okay Beca?" Alex asked. "You've been lounging on the couch all day."

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." she mumbled getting up and following Alex as she entered the kitchen. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing much. I know I've been busy for while so I thought I'd spend the rest of the day with you. If that's okay, Bash said you're being extra crafty with dodging them lately."

"They've been extra crafty at keeping me here too. Alex, when I agreed to the suits watching over me, I didn't agree to be their prisoner." Beca argued.

"I'll talk to Bash." Alex said defeated. "But as for you…" she said, inching closer to Beca with a mischievous smile on her face

"As for me what?" Beca asked, pulling away.

"Nothing." Alex muttered. "Just, you're different lately. Are you okay? For real this time? Did… Have you…"

Beca sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I haven't remembered anything Alex. It's been five years and I have squat. If I'm supposed to remember anything, I would've by now."

It was the truth she strongly believed.

But not exactly what Beca truly felt lately.

Because lately she only had one obsessive thought.

And it came with a name, Chloe Beale.

Every waking moment, every time her eyes were closed, Chloe was all Beca could see.

And that should be bad, right? She was with Alex.

She should only be thinking about her girlfriend of five years.

But Chloe was different.

She was like fire burning inside her.

A fire she can't put out.

Spending the day with the person who pretty much saved your life and who you fell in love with should reinforce their constant presence in your thoughts, right?

But the image of Chloe was all that Beca could see.

Because Chloe felt natural.

She felt real.

Not like the dream that she's been living for the last five years.

Sure Alex helped her open up the club.

Helped with reaching her dreams when she realized she had a knack for mixing.

But it felt like something was missing.

And Beca was a little bit terrified.

Because it felt like Chloe Beale was what made everything complete.

That night wasn't any different.

Beca was a little thankful that Alex was paged at the hospital because it felt weird and wrong and awkward.

To close your eyes and open them the next day to see the person you're with…

…knowing full well this person wasn't the one you were dreaming of…

…not the one you constantly thought about.

It felt like déjà vu, her dream that night, like she's lived that moment before.

Mixing on that old laptop Chloe had in her bedroom while sneaking glances at the redhead trying her best to focus on whatever it was she was reading.

Both of them were sprawled in the redhead's bed supposedly studying.

And Beca felt herself smirking a little once Chloe finally catches her, offering her precious headphones to her to listen to the current mix she's been working on.

Chloe shakes her head and laughs it off, accepting the precious headphones and before long she's bopping her head to the beats of the track.

And all Beca could do was stare in wonder and awe.

An unbearable urge of just kissing the redhead starts to take over her, but she fights it off, she doesn't kiss her.

Instead she just loses herself in Chloe's eyes.

"Beca, I'm starting to worry about this staring off into the distance thing." Alex commented as soon as she strolls into the kitchen and kissing Beca on the cheek before grabbing a cup of coffee for herself.

Which successfully snaps Beca back to reality.

"Long night at the hospital?" Beca asked.

"Yeah." Alex sighs.

Beca encourages her to tell her all about it, be the good girlfriend.

But she never heard a single word that Alex said.

Not when all she could think about was Chloe.

And whatever it was that was between them.

Yep, Chloe had a hold on her like no one else.

Alex was gone for the most part the next day.

Leaving Beca all alone, working on some mixes…

…mixes that Beca couldn't help but think are all for Chloe.

For some reason an image of Chloe flashed in her head, she was surrounded by her friends.

And she was singing 'Just the Way You Are'.

Beca could hear herself singing 'Just a Dream'.

Somehow producing such a perfect mash up.

And Beca tried so hard to figure what that meant, her head starting to throb a little. Beca rubbed her eyes thinking she was just tired, Alex would always remind her to not strain her eyes too much.

But the throbbing continued.

As flashes of a redhead smiling up at her behind a desk at auditorium popped in her head.

Beca took off her glasses, and started to nibble on one of the temple tips, a very bad habit a certain blonde doctor had often chastised, but it helps her when she thinks.

But before Beca ends up melting her brain from thinking too hard she heard the loud crash of her door opening.

Bash was a huge guy… like literally… bigger than her bouncer at the club…

…but he was always so clumsy and actually a pretty sweet guy.

"Hey, how's my favorite DJ doing?" Bash greeted with a sheepish grin as he entered Beca's studio with Beca' favorite take-out and snapping her out of her thoughts.

Beca leaned back on her chair, swinging it around as she instinctively reached out for the take-out box that Bash handed over to her, still biting down the temple tips.

And Bash laughed.

Of course Beca was all food first before putting down anything else.

Which Beca eventually did upon realizing that she can't eat with something hanging between her lips…

…Beca Mitchell everyone.

Bash laughed a little louder.

"Oh I know, I'm childish. Alex won't let me hear the end of it." Beca mumbled, mouth filled with food.

Somehow the throbbing in her head eased up a little.

So she shrugged it off to being hungry. "So what did my favorite 'buddy' guard find out?"

"Not much. I may be the head of your security detail but Dantes is a lot craftier…"

"…and she reports directly to Alex. He's her main man after all." Beca sighed. "So nothing?"

"Not much. But I'm working on it." Bash admittedly replied. "Why so interested about the past now Beca?"

Beca looked at Bash a little guilty and Bash nodded.

"Yeah, I'd try to avoid letting Alex catch on with the matters of your heart shorty. That's going to be messy."

"I never said…"

"Really? You seem a little hooked on a redheaded angel lately, making me dig through her past."

"I just wanted to know her name and number." Beca mumbled incoherently.

And Bash sighed. "You wanted to know more." he said. "You still do. I saw it that night when we drove off. You didn't sit back down properly even after we were a good three miles away from the club, looking out the rear windshield. I see it on the way your face lights up every time you're planning to sneak off to see her again. And when you couldn't reach her the other day, you were restless like a lost puppy until you and I found her at the park. That's called something Beca."

Bash's words pretty much echoed through Beca's mind the rest of the day.

It was true.

Every single word of it.

But Beca doesn't know why.

Well she knows the  _actual_  why.

But she doesn't know why Chloe.

Beca had her face all scrunched up as she stared at the TV, her thought elsewhere, when Alex finally got back.

"That's it Beca, what's going on with you?" Alex demanded looking all concerned.

"Huh, what?" Beca mumbled.

"It's like you're sick or something."

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You're not overworked? We can go someplace for…"

"I'm fine Alex." Beca snapped.

She didn't mean to.

But lately that's all Alex seemed to want.

To get out of there.

But Beca didn't. She wanted to stay.

"Sorry, just, a lot going on, but no on the vacation. Anyways, how's your day?"

Alex looked at Beca questioningly before she decided to let it slide.

Apparently Alaric, her brother, was in town.

Or something like that.

More flashes of Chloe popping in her head, like a mini-movie or some homemade video compiling just the moments when the redhead smiled and laughed…

…and prompted the butterflies in Beca's stomach to come fluttering about.

It sounded strange, but Beca strongly believes that the happiest Chloe looked in those images in her head was when she looked at her all admiringly and more when she was left speechless, standing outside the club.

Like Chloe had just found or discovered something incredibly important.

And Beca couldn't help but think that she ended up wiping that smile off Chloe's face as quickly as it came.

But she had to.

Because Beca knows, it's true she's already spoken for, that her heart belongs to someone.

She just wasn't sure who really holds it anymore.


	13. The Bella Investigations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I still managed to squeeze this chapter in...
> 
> Anyways, this where we get some of the usual Bella shenanigans… well, except they're actually expertly carried out so they're not much of shenanigans as super stealthy stuff…
> 
> …anyways, we have a possible motive for Alex here… it's gonna' be shallow and selfish (and yet completely plausible given human nature), but you know, I didn't want to go full on diabolical… :P
> 
> This is Aubrey's chapter.

Things were going smoothly for their little operation.

Sure Aubrey knew that Chloe was suspicious but she's currently busy trying to reconnect with Beca and all, the former leader of the Bellas knew for sure they were clear of the redhead for a while.

Aubrey was heading their little private investigations, and while she's steering clear of actually digging up info on Beca, she's been doing her own research on legal matters and talking to her father's connections on what they could possibly do to take action in case the von Albrechts – or at the very least Alex – attempt to make things difficult for them.

There was also the matter of informing Beca's parents, but Aubrey decided to wait on getting her hands on the complete story first. That and she still wants to gauge Beca's reaction to the possibility of reuniting with her family. But Aubrey wasn't still sure how to do just that.

So focus on their investigations it is.

Aubrey was coordinating everything, piecing the puzzle together.

And they were making good progress on that.

As luck would have it, Benji, the other Treble, as the Bellas had dubbed, was working for the tech company owned by the von Albrecht family.

At first the former Treble was nervous about the whole 'stealth mission' thing, as he was pretty sure that trying to bug Alaric von Albrecht's private network when he came in one morning to visit was highly illegal and the eldest son of the rather formidable family was running a law firm…

…so there was that.

Still, Emily and Benji managed to gather up some bits of info on how the company sponsored help for the search of the missing passengers on the ferry that Beca was on, along with the list of families they contacted after finding their missing loved ones in some way or form, even those who never reached out for assistance from them.

That was strike one for Aubrey.

If the von Albrecht group of companies were helping out in every single cause they could, including the ferry crash, why did they never contact Beca's family?

They had enough resources to figure out who she was.

Just like all of the other victims.

Lilly was still on the cyber front of their mission.

Not that Aubrey could stop her anyways.

So far Lilly's doing an exceptional job, to which Aubrey tried her best to not know anything of, she wanted to maintain her innocence on that front.

But the typically reserved Bella had done quite a lot, and Aubrey couldn't avoid digging into whatever she had found.

Nevertheless, the fruits of Lilly's research were neatly packed in a box labeled 'Blackmail Material', something that Aubrey reserved just in case they were desperate.

Meanwhile, Ashley and Jessica were both looking into some of Beca's legal documents.

What they found so far was that Beca's death certificate was never filed, no doubt Alex had intervened in that.

Beca's family gave the search team a whole week before they let the officials convince them that whatever search they do would be futile, Beca was most likely dead.

Those idiots.

If during that span of a week Alex and her people found Beca, then that meant that she would have had information on her within the following week, given their influence and connections.

So yeah, definitely something suspicious there.

But at least that gives a logical explanation as to why Beca still had a passport, and why the club was listed under her name.

Something Alice, Jesse's fiancée who decided to help in their cause, had found out from her own connections with her job.

Amy and CR, on the other hand, had been busy with figuring out Beca's security detail. Interacting with 'the boys' as Amy called them, and getting to fish information about their work by posing as strangers. They bumped into them in the club, noting how they kept a close eye at Beca and figured out they were her bodyguards.

For the most part, it would seem that because of their vast influence and expansive wealth, the von Albrecht family has had to deal with a lot of security threats, hence the tight security and numerous bodyguards.

CR and Amy's favorite go to guy was the head of Beca's security detail, Bash. He was a nice and approachable guy, incredibly well built and intimidating but a total softie when it came to the DJ. He talks fondly of Beca, like she was his little sister, sharing some shenanigans they've been up to, mostly helping her escape her escorts every now and then.

"Can't blame her, she's bored and she wants her freedom." Bash has once said to Amy and CR, and the two Bellas instantly relayed the information.

They also found out that Alex was using Beca's security detail to keep an eye on her, so Beca's interactions with other people were being monitored whenever the suits were around.

Although apparently Bash was filtering information on Beca's interactions with a certain redheaded beauty.

Something that Beca herself asked him to do.

On a side note it would seem that Bash had a thing for Cynthia Rose…

…so there was also that.

First of all, she was married…

Second of all, every time they tried to fish for information CR had to pretend to flirt with Bash…

…yeah Stacie's "How To Flirt With Guys When You Are Totally Not Into Them 101' crash course did not save CR as much as she painfully tried – as much as she was mortified – to apply her lessons to reality.

Thankfully Amy was there to always help her out. And thankfully Bash was also a pretty decent guy.

Flo, on the meantime, had been gathering info at the hospital where Alex works in.

It was no surprise that said hospital was, of course, owned by the family.

The staff had also mentioned they've seen Beca around.

Alive and well.

And it was also where she was first brought in.

It was through Flo that Aubrey and the rest of the Bellas found out that Alex volunteered to head some of the search groups herself.

Thanks to Jesse's own investigations with the different volunteer groups that helped with the search, they found out that she was the one who literally found Beca washed up somewhere, demanding at once that their group handle her case.

Alex was the one who took her to the hospital to treat any pressing injuries, before moving her into her own home as soon as the doctor had set-up one of her bedrooms to cater to Beca's needs.

Strike two.

On the other hand, Stacie was using her connections in the world of academia to learn more about Dr. Alex von Albrecht.

And Stacie's intel was probably the most crucial of all, if anyone asked Aubrey.

Because Stacie uncovered a possible motive.

Three years before Beca's accident, Alex lost her own fiancée in a yachting accident.

And that Beca just so happened to resemble said fiancée.

So Aubrey figured, Florence Nightingale must've fallen for her patient instantly.

And when she woke up without a memory, she tried her best to help her.

But still trying to stir Beca to her way.

Beca who was vulnerable, at a loss to where she belongs, and who quite possibly only felt comfortable around the one person she could trust at that moment, Alex.

But Beca wasn't the only one afraid.

Alex was too.

Alex was afraid that she might lose the person she loved a second time over.

And now still constantly afraid that Beca might just up and leave one day.

Strike three.

It was selfish.

Aubrey couldn't deny it.

Although she sort of understood her reasons, the temptation.

It was incredibly selfish nonetheless.

And nothing could ever make it a right choice.

Aubrey sighed, leaning on the edge of Stacie's dining table, looking across the room to the wall they have dedicated for their investigations.

They've pieced most of what was going on already.

All in a good span of three and a half weeks.

She really ought to tell Chloe soon.

But a part of her knew that Chloe would want to let things happen on their own.

Unknowingly, the redhead has been doing her part in winning Beca's heart all over again.

And Aubrey could tell that was the truth.

From the numerous tales Chloe's been endlessly sharing whenever she got back home.

It was like their senior year at Barden all over again.

So maybe Aubrey would just let Chloe handle it for now.

But the Bellas were all ready to come to her aid when the time comes.

Not just for Chloe.

But for Beca too.

Because Beca was a Bella.

And once a Bella, always a Bella.

That's why Aubrey knew she had to do the second part of her mission.

It was risky, but thankfully Stacie agreed to go with her the next day at some café near Stacie's campus.

The Bellas all close behind.

First of all, the meeting would be at someplace not frequented by people who knew the von Albrecht clan.

Second, the place was surrounded by the Bellas and apparently Alaric's bodyguards.

Both Aubrey and Stacie brought their game face on. This was a business meeting after all.

"I'm impressed by your audacity Ms. Posen." Alaric said highly amused as he leaned back on his sit.

This was after Aubrey had made her proposition, telling Alaric everything they've found so far about Beca and about some skeletons in the closet kept by the von Albrecht clan.

The thing with rich people, they have plenty of closets to hide plenty of skeletons.

And so even if Aubrey revealed the fact that she knew some of them, she's still safe guarding the fact she pretty much knows all of them.

"Truth be told, I can file a case against you now knowing full well that the evidence you and your friends obtained were obtained illegally. That and now you've resorted to blackmailing."

"Wouldn't call it blackmailing as much as a business deal. After all, you can send us all to prison but we'll still end up dragging your precious name in the mud and we both know you'd rather keep it pristine. This is for two people I really care about von Albrecht, and I don't want to see them get hurt."

"I don't want to see Alex hurt too." Alaric sighed. "She was always the favorite, you know, so what she want she got. And she wants Beca, who I have grown incredibly fond of as well. I haven't seen Alex smile since Julianne died so having her keep Beca may sound incredibly selfish and wrong, but what am I to do? Not to say it's right of course."

"What are you trying to get at here rich boy?" Stacie asked.

"I don't want Alex hurt, and neither do I want to see Beca hurt. If Beca chooses to move on and Alex insists on keeping her no matter what, they'll only keep hurting each other. And if my sister does something even more reckless and stupid then you'll inevitably destroy my family, so what I am saying here is that you and your friends have a deal."

"What's the catch?" Aubrey immediately asked.

"That all the evidences you have sequestered be handed over to our company."

"Not going to happen, you can double cross us anytime if that happens."

Alaric chuckled. "Nothing gets passed you, huh? Just don't hurt my sister, she's very fragile. She's been broken once already so handle her with care. We won't press charges if your party won't."

"I can't promise you Beca's parents won't when they find out."

"Then let me handle that myself when the time comes." Alaric simply said. "For what it's worth, I do sincerely apologize for the mess Alex has made. If anything, Beca was treated well for the last five years. The club's fully hers, she actually paid us back from her other gigs in the past. She's a remarkable person."

"Yeah, the hobbit is one of a kind." Aubrey commented. "But don't think you're winning us over."

"No, I know." Alaric said. "But I think we have a deal?"

Both Stacie and Aubrey nodded.

"If I can ask on more thing?" Alaric then added.

"What?" Stacie asked, quirking her eyebrows.

"I want to meet her. The redhead. I've been getting an earful from Alex lately about how Beca keeps sneaking off to meet Chloe at her school, Alex has her own personal bodyguards chasing after Beca when she dodges her own."

"I'll introduce you to Chloe personally when all of this is sorted out." Aubrey said straight-faced. "If that's all von Albrecht, we're leaving."

"One last thing Posen." Alaric said. "Do consider working for my firm in the future, I have a place for people like you."

"The answer's always going to be no, von Albrecht." Aubrey said before leaving, Stacie right behind her.

"I don't like him." Stacie said.

"Oh Stace, I know you don't like him but he's telling the truth about the deal."

"Yeah, I know that. I just don't like him trying to flirt with you."

Aubrey laughed a little. "Stacie, this is a mission. And mission accomplished so far."

"So what do we do now? I mean, now that we've made a deal with the devil's older brother?"

"We keep investigating. We need to be prepared in case." was Aubrey's adamant answer.


	14. What Was Never Yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe wasn't sure what she was thinking when she said yes...
> 
> ...but it was a little too late to ponder on that when she's already sitting right across Alex von Albrecht after accepting her invitation for brunch...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter should be interesting…
> 
> I got a little carried away with Chloe... but hey, she's telling it like it is
> 
> Thanks for all the comments so far! You guys have been quite supportive as always.

Chloe has no idea what she was doing at the rather chic café somewhere in the heart of LA.

No wait, she does.

Why she said yes though was the real mystery.

For the last month or so, Beca has been popping in and out of Chloe's daily life, dropping by the school where she works or meeting up at the record store near Chloe's place, or spending some time at Chloe and Aubrey's apartment.

She even stayed for dinner once, at Aubrey's insistence. It was just the three of them, and for a while it felt familiar, Chloe's thought drifting back to her Barden days.

Except for the fact the two former co-captains were side-stepping a few of Beca's questions.

And that Beca was clearly trying to side-step a few of theirs.

Like Beca's been dying to know about things in her life beyond the last five years she's kept talking about, she just didn't know how to ask.

And Aubrey and Chloe wanted to know if Beca knew, if she was ever curious about her past, if she still wants to know her past.

There was somewhat an unspoken agreement on not speaking up about the whole of 'the last five years' thing, the 'we know each other from even before' thing, and 'Beca has amnesia' thing.

As for their alone time, things were slowly returning to their normal pace.

The normal pace of quite possibly dancing around their feelings for each other that is.

Because, yeah, that was a little bit more complicated.

Chloe understands, Beca fell for Alex.

And if she's in love with Alex, if she wants her, then it's not Chloe's place to swoop in and steal the girl.

But if there's even the slightest of possibilities that somewhere deep down inside, Beca was still in love with her, that she's also falling for her all over again, then Chloe knew she had to fight for the DJ's heart.

Because this time around she's not just going to let someone else take Beca away.

This time she was going to fight.

She doesn't want to feel that same kind of pain she felt the last time she thought she lost her forever.

She wasn't just going to let her slip away again.

And so that's why Chloe wasn't sure why she said yes to this.

Or how to feel about it for that matter.

And by 'this' Chloe meant her Saturday brunch with none other than Alex von Albrecht.

Beca wasn't an early riser. That much Chloe knew.

And it felt kind of good to know that somethings never change, inculcated deep within.

So Chloe knew for sure she didn't need to expect any surprise visits from the DJ at that point of the day.

The redhead had decided the day before to get some chores done and out of the way early that morning, with the last thing on the list being to buy a few things from the supermarket. But apparently Fate has different plans because as soon as Chloe stepped outside her building she saw a Porsche parked across the street, a leggy blonde leaning on the side of the car looking thoughtful before noticing Chloe.

It was Alex.

"Um, hi." Chloe said as she crossed the street after Alex motioned for her to come over.

"Hi. Beca introduced us at the coffee shop before." Alex muttered.

"Right. Alex von Albrecht, right?"

"Yeah." Alex mumbled. "Say, do you want to go to brunch?"

"Now?" Chloe asked, looking at her confused.

"Yes." Alex said, sounding more like a command, before motioning for Chloe to get in the car.

And so Chloe found herself only having a split second to decide if she wanted to go to lunch with Alex von Albrecht.

Curiosity got the best of her and so she went.

The first painfully long fifteen minutes they spent together at the café was far worse than the equally long drive also spent in awkward silence. Their food had just been served when Alex finally decided to end the said silence.

"So…" Alex started to say. "You're Beca's friend."

"Yeah." Chloe said.

"How'd you meet?"

"Shouldn't she have told you?"

"She's very secretive." was all that Alex said in response before another five minutes of silence ensued.

This time, it was Chloe who ended the silence, "How did you find where I live?"

"I have my people." Alex said in response, impassive and unfeeling. "You studied at Barden?"

"Yeah."

"For seven years?" she sneered.

"I didn't want to say goodbye to someone important." was Chloe's adamant answer, her face adopting a serious expression. "What do you really want Dr. von Albrecht?"

"Who is Beca to you?" Alex asked, her voice cold. "Truthfully."

"I don't know Alex, you tell me. You seem to know better than I do." Chloe replied. The air between them getting tenser by the minute. They can't dance around it forever.

"She's moved on from the past Chloe."

"Correction, she forgot the past."

"You don't forget things that matter to you, and not once did it ever resurface."

"You sure about that? From where I stand Beca knows who she is, the person shaped by everything she's been through, even those things she can't remember. She just forgot the memories she made from the past, and it wasn't even her choice in the first place."

"Just because you're imposing your presence in her life now…"

"But I'm not. See, that's where you're wrong, Alex. Beca's the one who wants me to be in her life now."

"That's because you're here. Within her reach."

"You have a medical degree and you don't seem to find your statement idiotic. You can't just fence her in your place, or fly her someplace far away because you want to keep her to yourself. But then again, what do you know? You probably got everything you wanted with just a snap of a finger, so you think you can just easily get this too." Chloe started, she was on a roll. All her frustrations, hurt, and anger at the deception regarding Beca's death, once upon a time bottled up, now being set free. "You can't force a new life on someone, offer them the world, and think you'll have them forever. Some things can't be bought. Love and affection being some of those things. And living the truth another good example. You took Beca from us…"

"You never looked for her!"

"We thought she was dead! All because you got there first! What did you think it was? First come first served?" Chloe snapped.

"You have no right… Beca was dying… I saved her life… Gave her a new one, a better one… You don't just move on from someone, you never give up on them. And you lost hope, stopped looking for her…"

"We never lost hope. And I never stopped fighting for her. I tried to keep her alive here," Chloe said pointing to her chest, just above where her heart was "and I held on to her memories. But see, we don't have the same resources as you do. And the world doesn't stop turning just because you want it too, we had to move on somehow because we were stuck in one moment. I was stuck thinking only of Beca for the last five years!" Chloe retorted, her voice shaky. "Don't dress up what you did for her as some sort of heroic act and call yourself righteous when you hid her from the people who love her, her family, her friends… from me."

"So that's it? And here I thought that Swanson guy who tried chasing after her one time was my problem. Didn't think it would be you. So I guess you think this is your second shot? You were in love with her, but you didn't do anything, didn't fight for her? And you think you have the right… Beca's moved on. She's with me. And so much has changed the last five years…"

"Yeah, well, maybe your love can offer her everything, you do have the world in the palm of your hands, but my love for her is like an indelible ink on my soul. It's never going to go away. Just because I thought she died doesn't mean I stopped loving her, because when I thought I lost her, it felt like I… I stopped living…"

"Just because you're still in love with her…" Alex started before taking a deep breath to keep her calm. On the other hand, Chloe was a little thankful Alex paid the owner to close the café down for her for brunch so no one could witness the outrage. "You're an enigma to her right now, that's it. That's all. Beca's bored, she needs to find something to waste her time on…"

"If that's what you really think then you really don't deserve her, do you?" Chloe scoffed. "Thanks for the invite, but I've realized that I don't really have an appetite." she then said before excusing herself and storming out.

Chloe was pretty sure that Alex said something like 'Keep away from her.' Truth be told, Chloe didn't care about what she said. She was just so mad.

The nerve of that girl!

Who does she think she is?

Well, technically she's a von Albrecht, and apparently that meant something.

But still.

How amnesiac Beca fell for tall, angelic-on-the-outside, and no-not-really-angelic-on-the-inside, is beyond her.

Chloe was pretty sure she was huffing all the way back home.

But if anything, she at least knew for sure.

She wasn't going to just sit idly by this time around. Her decision reaffirmed now more than ever.

She's going let Beca know how she feels for her this time around.

And whether or not she remembers Chloe, or if she'll ever remember her at all, Chloe was certain…

…after all, it happened once before…

…if she can fall for the same Beca all over again, then maybe Beca can fall for Chloe all over again too.


	15. Stitching Over the Eyes or Stitching Back A Heart?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca's seeing Chloe in everything and everywhere, even in her dreams...
> 
> ...will Beca let herself realize what it means?
> 
> ...or will she give in to Alex's arguments?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back to Beca with this one! ;)
> 
> …with a bit of Chloe thrown in…
> 
> …[SPOILER!]Beca's going to have a moment that parallels something that happened to Chloe in chapter 1…
> 
> …so yeah ;D
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and reviews so far! The next chapters going to be… well… it's going to be quite a chapter that much I can promise. So hang tight.
> 
> I don't own pitch perfect.

It was a dream.

Wasn't it?

It was only just a dream.

But what if it isn't?

Beca finds herself dreaming of Chloe again.

And a camp fire.

Somehow Chloe's friends were there too.

Beca wasn't sure.

But again, it was just a dream.

A dream she probably shouldn't be having because she and Chloe were friends and she was with Alex…

…but why did it feel so real?

It's been happening more and more lately.

Little bits and flashes of "Chloe dreams".

To which Beca reasons, it's probably because she's just spending most of her time with Chloe.

But she does find it slightly alarming that she prefers dreaming of Chloe than being with Alex lately.

Truth be told, Beca doesn't really know what to think of it. She knows, all the tell-tale signs were there… But could someone really fall for two people at the same time?

No.

Beca knows the answer to that is no.

At least not in the same way.

If you fall for someone else when you're already supposed to be in love with another, doesn't that mean that you should pick the second because you wouldn't be falling for anyone else if the first was 'the one'? Unless the second is actually the first and you just forgot and now you're making your way back to the said original first or you were just truthfully oblivious and didn't realize your heart already belongs to pseudo-second-actual-first and not pseudo-first-actual-second.

Beca doesn't know. Not really.

And thinking about it only made her head hurt a lot.

Although using variables to substitute with her labels might actually help her process her thoughts better.

But Beca was a little lazy to actually put  _that_  much effort into it.

So she'd usually drown it out with music.

Music is the universal language of our hearts and souls after all.

It connects us to people we don't even necessarily know.

And yet even in music she could only think of Chloe, how she feels for her… everything about her…

That should tell you something right?

When you only see one person.

Think of that one person.

Beca knows the answer.

But she's a little afraid to admit it to herself.

Because that would mean one thing…

…she's falling for Chloe Beale.

Who goes falling in love with a complete stranger you start getting to know in a span of a month?

But no one can ever really understand love, so you know, why bother understanding it now.

Especially when there's a part of Beca telling her that she  _does_  know Chloe. She's known her all along.

Her intuition screaming 'In every lifetime, even when you still haven't met, she's the one you're searching for…'

'…that missing piece of you.'

But what about Alex?

Beca finds it a little funny though, that she's thinking about all of this while on her way to Chloe's apartment.

Doesn't that at least answer her question partially?

Well, one question at least.

There's still the matter of knowing who Chloe was to her before.

They never spoke of it, but Beca knows.

Somewhere deep down inside of her.

Beca knows.

She just doesn't know what it is that she 'knows'.

Was she also in love with her in the past?

Did she matter to Chloe?

Beca never really questioned the past.

She just listened to whatever Alex said, let Alex wash away any doubt and focus on the future.

But now Beca finds herself wanting to know more.

Beca was greeted by Aubrey as she made her way to their apartment, the blonde looking a little surprised to see her there before noon. Nevertheless, Aubrey let her in the apartment, saying that Chloe was out on an errand and would be back soon.

That was another thing, Beca thought.

Aubrey. Chloe's other friends too, the Bellas they call themselves.

They all look at her in a certain way every time she bumps into one of them, and Beca couldn't shake the feeling off.

The feeling that it was just the way things were.

That they missed her.

That they know her.

Beca lasted for all of five minutes just sitting on the couch when she found herself bored.

And so that was how Beca found herself sneaking off into Chloe's room while awaiting the redhead's return planning to do some part time snooping of her own – you know, in case she finds something to help her figure out the answers to her questions.

Mostly because while Bash could easily get info on the Bellas and Chloe, she couldn't get anything on Beca's past.

So Beca decided to take matters into her own hands.

But Beca didn't get far, as soon as she crossed the threshold she heard Aubrey calling for Chloe's name.

Only to find Beca standing in the hallway, smiling sheepishly back at her.

"Some things never…" Aubrey mumbled as she shook her head, a smile on her face. "Chloe's not back yet?"

"No." Beca simply answered.

"Well that's strange. She's been gone a good half hour already." Aubrey commented before marching back to the living room, inviting Beca to join her for some coffee.

Half an hour later, Chloe finally arrived looking all frazzled, earning curious looks from Beca and Aubrey.

"Beca!" Chloe exclaimed a little surprised. There was something else too, Beca wasn't sure what. She did, however, know something had made the redhead incredibly upset.

"What is it?" Beca was the first to ask as she quickly made her way to Chloe. "Hey, look at me Chloe, what is it?" Beca demanded and Chloe obeyed.

Beca saw a thousand different emotions reflected in the redhead's eyes at that moment.

And Beca could feel that whatever storm was brewing inside Chloe was starting within her as well. She instantly wrapped her arms around her, embracing Chloe as if she knew that her warmth was all that she needed to feel better.

Because a part of Beca knew that the silence taking over Chloe as she refused to answer Beca's persistent questions about what upset her must be related to her somehow.

And it wasn't until Beca found herself back home late that night when she realized what upset the redhead.

The look on Alex's face when she asked where Beca had been off too, her voice laced with jealousy and insinuation, told her all.

And Beca felt anger surging through the pits of her stomach, taking over her.

Alex had no right…

After surviving yet another war of the words with Alex – which have been happening a lot lately – Beca decided to sleep on the couch.

Beca didn't want to be near her.

Not when there's too much noise in her head.

Not when a part of her is angry for Alex ambushing Chloe and another part guilt-tripped by Alex reminding her of all she's done for Beca.

And even without words Beca knew that Alex was trying to give her an ultimatum.

With a part of her knowing that Alex was still trying to sway her into choosing to stay.

All that Alex did say was that she didn't like Chloe.

And Beca knew that translated to 'You are not seeing her again'

The command in her voice was clear through and through.

Beca huffed.

She could do as Alex said.

She has a good life now.

But what's a good life when it's empty?

When something's missing?

And with each and every passing day Beca knows…

…Chloe's what's missing.

Beca groaned, trying to catch some sleep. She's been tossing and turning for most of the night.

Until she finally found herself drifting off to sleep.

Finding herself dreaming of Chloe again that night.

It was a dream.

Fragments of something shattered but beautiful nonetheless.

Yes, just a dream.

But is it really just?

Chloe did make that comment about the shower…

For whatever reason – Beca was chalking it up to being tired – she had a dream that she was singing in the shower and Chloe just hijacking her in all her naked glory.

And she did nothing.

She let Chloe leave.

Who does that? Granted it was just a dream, but if a redheaded beauty jumps into your shower stall and forces you to have a duet of a song she calls her 'lady jam' you do not just let them walk away.

And thanks to that, the image of Chloe naked was now stuck in her head like a permanent tattoo.

Beca feeling the need to be chivalrous and not take a peak…

…but how could she not…

…not that she's even sure if that's what Chloe really looks like naked.

And now Beca's wondering how Chloe actually looks like naked.

Beca groaned as she kept twisting and turning. "Must resist impure thoughts." she mumbled.

And that's when it happened.

In the middle of the tossing and the turning.

Beca jolted up awake.

It felt real.

As real as the sensations overwhelming her.

The butterflies and more, not wanting to keep her distance from Chloe…

…it was like a light bulb somewhere had turned on…

…and it was enough to illuminate the darkness that surrounded her.

Beca never felt this way before.

Not even for Alex.

"God! I'm in love with her." she murmured to herself a little breathless. "I'm in love with Chloe Beale."


	16. More Than A Want, You're A Constant Need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm uploading this chapter on my own birthday as a gift to myself :D… also the 'bake a cake thing' was prompted by a conversation I had with one of my best friends earlier when I told her about the fic… so thanks to her for that idea!
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and support so far! :D Enjoy the Bechloe… although things might've ended up at a place I didn't expect…
> 
> …'cause yeah, stuff's about to go down in the coming chapters.
> 
> On that note, I can't upload anything until the weekend (here's to hoping I keep my sanity for the coming days too). It's work/study stuff so I'm kind on the edge but I've already started writing the next chapter so latest Friday for sure (but if I do finish the next chapter by early tomorrow then I might upload it). So sorry if I might leave you hanging for a while, but I promise to make it all worth it! :P

Chloe was a little surprised when she opened the door to her apartment after a busy day at work to find Beca was already in her apartment pacing around.

It wasn't like she wasn't expecting her, Beca did say she's planning to hang out that day.

And Chloe was looking forward to it for a lot of reasons.

She just didn't think the DJ would already be there, pacing and mumbling something to herself, looking incredibly cute in the pair of glasses Chloe didn't even know Beca had.

Chloe stood there for a good minute or two to see if Beca would realize Chloe's already home. Apparently that wasn't the case. Whatever it was that got Beca wound up was clearly keeping her in her own world. "Since when do you have a key to our apartment? For that matter, when did you get glasses?" she then asked highly amused.

"Oh crap." Beca mumbled, more to herself. "Forgot to remove it before leaving."

"Hey, wait, don't take it off. You look adorable." Chloe commented as she dropped of her things and motioned for Beca to follow her to the kitchen. "Seriously though, when did you get glasses and how did you get in? And are you okay? You're as red as a beet."

"Wha- I-… no… err…" Beca mumbled some more, clearly flustered, before clearing her throat as she recomposed herself. "I think I always had them?" Beca replied absent-mindedly. "Aubrey let me in before leaving with that tall brunette, Stacie?"

Chloe nodded while Beca stood behind her somewhere in the kitchen, resisting the urge to start pacing again. "Here you go! Happy Birthday!" Chloe then beamed producing a small cake from her fridge.

Beca looked at Chloe in awe, a little speechless. Chloe doesn't know that she was currently dodging Alex and her 'Surprise Party' that she wasn't really feeling to attend thanks to their fight the night before. "Ho-how did you know? I never…" Beca started to say.

And it hit Chloe that she probably shouldn't have done that.

They were still avoiding  _that_  topic.

So it was Chloe's turn to be speechless.

Until the two of them were just standing in the kitchen looking deep into each other's eyes.

That didn't last long though.

Because Beca started blushing a deep red again, getting all flustered as she grabbed the cake from Chloe and made her way back to the dining table. Chloe watched confused as Beca fumbled around the kitchen, looking incredibly nervous and being incredibly clumsy with the plates and utensils.

"Beca, you okay?" Chloe asked but Beca was still all jittery and weird.

"I'm peachy." was Beca's reply before mumbling something about no one ever says that, still being nervous and all.

That's pretty much how they ended up on the floor, with Beca being all edgy, Chloe following her around to make sure she didn't hurt herself.

But, well, clearly she did.

Beca was trying to reach for the cake slicer up above the cupboard. She was too short to reach it so she thought that trying to climb up the counter was the smartest decision in the world.

Luckily Chloe caught her.

"God Chloe! I'm sorry!" Beca mumbled against Chloe's chest trying to hide her furiously flushed face from the redhead, their bodies still pressed together, making it really hard for Chloe to regain any coherent thought other than the fact that she was pinned to the floor with Beca on top of her and that the two of them were in a rather compromising position.

It didn't help that Chloe could feel Beca's warmth, she could breathe in her scent, and her heart was beating wildly against her chest.

It didn't help that she was entirely conscious of Beca's every movement right then. And that she was entirely worried that Beca could hear the load pounding in her chest.

It didn't help that this was the closest they've been other than Beca's three minute hug to make Chloe feel better about the whole thing with Alex.

And Chloe's strength was being sapped away as she did her best to resist the urge to just hold onto Beca and never letting her go ever again.

She did decide on fighting for Beca, but she didn't want to rush things. She was still concerned about how Beca was going to take things and Chloe wanted to make sure that Beca would be okay, that she would be able to ease into the situation and eventually letting her know…

…the truth…

…and how she feels.

It was all a very delicate situation.

And Chloe was adamant to handle Beca's heart with care.

"Chlo?" Beca murmured as she slowly lifted her head, her hair a slight mess, her glasses hanging askew off her nose, her face dangerously close to Chloe's.

Making Chloe's breath hitch a little, her heart beat at an even faster pace.

And apparently it was having the same effect on the DJ with Beca's face redder than ever before, if it was even possible.

Thankfully the Bellas, or at the very least Aubrey, didn't choose to arrive right then.

That would have been something altogether.

The two of them made it back to the dining room in awkward silence after Beca clumsily got off of Chloe after realizing she was pining her down.

Still, Chloe found it a little adorable.

More than that, Chloe could feel it, there was something in the air between them.

Making her smile a little as she saw Beca finally pulling up a seat on the table.

Beca took her glasses off, biting on the edge of one of the temple tips as she hid her face behind her hands trying to calm herself down. Meanwhile, Chloe placed a slice of the cake on Beca's plate handing it over to her with a shy smile.

"I'm being an idiot. I'm sorry." Beca then said before she took her first bite of the cake, glasses back on at Chloe's insistence. "This is really good. Where'd you get this?"

"Oh, I… Well I baked it." Chloe said and Beca looked at her impressed.

"Y-you baked it? The whole thing? For me?"

"Well, yeah, I had some spare time and baking is something I've picked up on the past couple of years so, you know." Chloe replied shyly while Beca looked like a child on Christmas day as she took another bite and savored the flavor of the cake. "Oh come on Beca, I'm sure you've had better."

"No, this is really good." Beca mumbled. "And, well, you know… no one's ever done this thing before for me."

Chloe wanted to say something.

But Chloe decided to hold her tongue.

Afraid she'll pour all her heart out at the moment.

Instead she just wanted to take in everything.

Treasure the new memories she was making with Beca.

Something she never thought she could ever have again since that day of the ferry crash.

A part of Chloe never stopped thanking the heavens above for giving her this second shot, and she knows she should make the most of it.

And again Chloe found herself feeling the urge to just let it all out in the open.

With the more logical side of her arguing to consider Beca's position in all of this.

She has to be patient.

But she wants to let Beca know soon.

She's afraid she might lose her again.

But she didn't want to rush things.

In the end, the rational side won. Chloe knows that things could be very fragile, but when the time comes, she will let Beca know.

Timing's everything after all.

Chloe took a bite of the cake herself and watched as Beca took another small slice for herself, the DJ finally seemed to recompose herself. "But seriously though are you okay?" Chloe asked.

"Y-yeah. I just had this stupid dream last night. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. So what was the dream about?"

"Errr…"

"Beca what is it? You can tell me." Chloe reassured.

"It's… well… it's about you." Beca said before biting down on her lips unsure of how Chloe would react.

Chloe looked at her in confusion. "Me?" Chloe asked softly.

"Y-yeah." Beca admitted.

Chloe looked at her curiously, Beca's eyes fixed at the slice of cake in front of her. For some reason Chloe could tell that Beca was being all too nervous.

"Beca, what is it? You're driving me insane with all of, well, whatever's happening with you."

Chloe doesn't know, at least not yet, that the reason Beca can't look her in the eyes was that the image of naked Chloe in the shower kept popping into Beca's head every single time she looks at Chloe.

Top that off with the way she feels for the redhead and you get the furiously blushing DJ in front of Chloe.

"Beca." Chloe said softly and Beca finally looked up. "What is it? What did you dream about?" Chloe found herself asking, curiosity taking over her.

Because of course the thought that Beca dreamt of her warmed her heart.

And she wanted to know how Beca truly thought of her.

Something about subconscious desire…

"I dream about you a lot." was the first thing that Beca said, sending Chloe's heart on a frenzy. "It's like you're the only one constant thought I can ever have. It's maddening, but the strangest thing is I like it." Beca continued smiling defeated at Chloe who was trying to process what she was saying.

But all Chloe could process at the time was the look in Beca's eyes, a look she's seen so often when she catches the tiny DJ stealing a glance at her. A look that was weighed down with all the words unspoken between them.

"I mean, I'm not stupid Chlo, I know what  _that_  means. I just, I don't understand why you? Why of all the people I've met, you? Why can't I feel this way for anyone else?"

"Yeah, you're not the only one." Chloe found herself saying confused to where Beca was going with this.

And Beca chuckled.

Because what Chloe had said pretty much sounded like a confession.

Which is pretty much what Beca was saying sounded like.

"I've been happy the last five years, but that's because nothing exists beyond that for me. And I never once asked myself what was missing, even when I knew that something was. Then you appear out of nowhere and _Bam!_ You've caught me completely off guard and before I knew it I can't keep away from you."

"Beca, what are you trying to say?" Chloe asked.

Because Chloe could tell that it was something serious.

It was the first time Beca acknowledged her memory loss.

"Chloe, I…" Beca started to say before rambling on. "Everything's so simple with you. So natural. Like things are the way they're supposed to be. I thought no one… I thought people… then you just… And now I can't turn it off. You're there everywhere I turn. Every time I close my eyes too. And those dreams… they feel so real. Like in that one dream I had, you and I were in your room and  _I_  was the one mixing in your friend's old laptop, and then there was another one where we're in some camping ground around the campfire with your friends and… and… well… and… err… the-there's this one with the shower and… and… well… you were… you know… what is a 'lady jam' anyway? Is it, you know…? Ugh! I'm sorry this is so wrong of me to even think!" Beca pretty much word vomited before her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of crimson, her hands trying to hide her face again.

But Chloe totally missed Beca's embarrassment.

One thought was running around in circles in her mind.

Beca knows.

Well, not exactly know.

But she was… she's remembering…

And Chloe just sat there in stunned silence gaping at the DJ.

"Chloe?" Beca asked sounding a little unsure of how Chloe's taking all of this in. "I'm sorry, it's just… those dreams, they feel so real…" Beca continued to say a little breathlessly.

Still Chloe couldn't find any words to say, she was still overwhelmed and a little glassy eyed…

...because Beca was remembering…

...little by little, in bits and pieces…

…and Beca's face scrunched up a little before a realization hit her. "It's because they are… isn't it?" Beca asked in an inaudible whisper.

"Beca…"

"Alex… she knows, doesn't she…?" Beca continued before wordlessly piecing up the puzzle in her mind before standing up. "I have to go."

"Beca, wait." Chloe said frantically, afraid that she's losing Beca all over again.

"Chloe." Beca said softly, walking towards Chloe and reaching out to brush away a tear threatening to fall. "Chlo, don't cry, I'm not going anywhere. I… I just… I have to sort things out."

Chloe nodded, feeling a little relieved. "Beca…"

"I know Chlo… I know."

With that Beca left.

Leaving Chloe to process her own thoughts.

"Chlo? I just saw Beca fuming out mumbling something about Alex von Albrecht… and what on earth happened?" Aubrey asked as she walked in with Stacie right behind her. Aubrey sounding concerned with the way Chloe looked, all glassy eyed and all.

"Beca knows… I mean, she doesn't remember, but she sort of remembers? She remembers memories with me but she still has no idea what they are or… Bree, I don't know what to do!"

"Oh Chloe." she heard Aubrey say before the blonde exchanged a look with Stacie and Stacie nodded.

It was time Chloe knew what they've been up to.


	17. The Past Meets the Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a.k.a the one where Beca's tired of waiting and gets to the bottom of things herself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Beca's done relying on sneaky intelligence gathering. She wants to get to the bottom of the truth herself.
> 
> Thanks for all the support and the comments so far! So I ended up uploading this today. I'm skipping tomorrow but will be back Friday, so hang tight (I also promise the next chapters are worth it). :D

Chloe was it.

That one constant thought.

That one constant need.

All that Beca never knew she wanted.

And Beca knew, understood more now than ever, that she meant a lot to Chloe.

That she meant as much as Chloe did to her.

It never changed.

Not even with all the lost years.

And those dreams…

…they were real…

…which would mean that Beca was remembering.

But why only memories about Chloe?

Is it because of the ways she feels for her?

It could be.

Beca wasn't sure what to think or feel as she huffed angrily, muttering thoughts to herself.

She wasn't sure but she thought she almost bumped into Stacie and Aubrey.

Except her thoughts were still wrapped around with the one truth that was consuming her.

Alex lied.

About everything.

And Alex knew, of course she would, from the moment she met Chloe too.

She knew the people who could piece together Beca's past were within her reach.

She knew that Chloe was a part of Beca's past. She possibly knew what Chloe felt for her too.

She knew about Chloe's friends, she knew about Beca's life before the last five years after all.

And Beca felt so angry and so stupid for trusting Alex fully.

But Alex was kind, and sweet, and nice. How could Beca have known?

And how could Beca even begin to process all of this?

Either way she needs to get answers.

And for a moment or two she wanted to run back to Chloe or Aubrey or Stacie for answers.

But she never really knew how to open it up to Chloe.

Because Beca could tell, it would be like tearing apart a nicely healing scar. Forcing Chloe to remember the pain of losing her when she thought she died.

Other than the good memories that is.

And she doesn't want to hurt Chloe or make her relive the pain.

Yeah, Chloe meant that much to her.

As for Aubrey and Stacie, they were probably with Chloe right now...

...and Beca felt like Chloe needed her best friends at the moment too.

But Beca knew. She had to know the whole truth. See the whole picture. Understand the full story.

But how could she? Where does she go for answers? She couldn't easily ask Alex, not without proof. So who-

"Oof! Sorry there… oh hey Shawshank… I… I mean, Beca. Hi Beca. Looking good with the glasses there." Amy said after bumping into Beca as the DJ left the building.

"Shawsha- ? Amy, right? You and your friends were at Chloe's the other day when I came by."

"Ah, yes. I, um, I'm one of Chloe's friends, yeah. That's when we first officially met. We were having movie night when you stole Chloe away, right?" Amy replied looking a little unsure with how to deal with the DJ.

And Beca could see just that. "Where are you headed?"

"Uh, Stacie's. You know, Stacie, tall brunette, always with Chloe's roommate. Totally boring stuff." Amy said.

But Beca didn't buy a word.

Amy was fidgeting a lot.

She was nervous about something.

Beca smirked.

She had an idea.

"Really Beca, why are you following me?" Amy asked as the two made their way back to the building and into Stacie's apartment where Amy was supposed to meet with the Bellas in about half an hour.

"Like I said, I wanted to get to know Chloe's friends better and you had a few packs of beer in hand so I figured you're probably going to have a party of sorts." Beca replied following Amy into the kitchen.

Amy continued to be fidgeting all around. Once inside Stacie's apartment – they all had a spare key – she kept positioning Beca so that Beca's back was facing the living room.

Beca watched her suspiciously as Amy moved around the kitchen to place the beer in the fridge, offering Beca one herself but the DJ declined.

"You really care about Red, don't you?" she finally asked after trying to move around so that Beca's attention was on her and away from the suspicious looking web of evidence on Stacie's living room wall.

But Beca didn't put much thought on it, the sneaky behavior that is. Instead she noted the concerned tone in Amy's voice and thought about her question. Beca knew the answer, there was no point in hiding it. Regardless of her elusive past and the memories long forgotten. Beca knew. "I do." she answered truthfully. "I think I always have."

"What do you mean shorty?" Amy asked curiously.

Beca didn't want to answer that then. She doesn't know how to in the first place. Instead, she remembered something Bash had let slip earlier, during their 'private investigation' progress – or the lack thereof – talks. "You know Bash keeps telling me stories about two fans of mine, the description of the Australian he keeps talking about fits you." Beca said.

She wanted to know.

Because now it seems like the Bellas were also looking into the DJ's past.

Or at least what happened as they tried to piece the puzzle.

Amy took a deep breath, completely uncomfortable with the situation. She barely interacted with Beca in the short time that she's been back in their lives, so far she's mostly hanging out with Chloe.

Not that that in itself was any different from their Barden days.

But Amy was Beca's roommate.

She's designated herself as the DJ's best friend.

And they've had their moments too.

So Amy knew Beca's ways, and on some level, memories or no memories, Beca knew Amy's ways.

And Beca's intuition was screaming that if she pushed enough, she'd get answers from her.

She just doesn't know that Amy misses their past interactions so much that she'd easily cave, if it meant bringing Beca back to her old ways. If it meant they'd share the same moments again, relive memories, and that Bellas truly become whole again.

"Amy, please tell me what you know." Beca pleaded. "I'm trying to piece things together, I need answers. I need to understand. And… well, I know I can ask Chloe for all of this but… she gets emotional sometimes and it gets me, you know? I hate seeing her all teary-eyed."

"I… um… I'm not sure what you mean there Beca." Amy replied, still trying to downplay her nervous behavior. The Bellas made a pact to not jump information on Beca and she wasn't sure if Beca asking them directly would be an exemption to the rule or not.

"Please Amy. I thought the past didn't matter, I thought the people in my past just gave up on me. I know that's not true now. So please Amy, I know you're not telling me something. I know that you know things. If I ask Alex this she won't give me straight answers, and I might just never find the truth."

"I don't think you can handle the truth Shorty."

"You do know something, don't you? Amy, please." Beca demanded.

And so Amy decided to take the chance and make a decision.

If Beca wanted to know, then nothing's going to stop her from knowing anyways.

"What on earth?" Beca mumbled as Amy turned her around and walked her over to their wall of evidence.

Silence.

Silence as Beca tried to process everything the Bellas have found.

When the silence was overwhelming Amy started talking.

About how they met.

About how they became Bellas, became friends.

About how they thought Beca died.

And about how that tore them all up inside, especially Chloe.

Nothing made any sense to Beca. Although there was something about it that rung true to her.

And though a part of her heart felt something, evoked emotions she never thought she could feel from just words of a story that feels so distant, they were still not enough to restore her memories.

Still nothing about what Amy said sparked up anything in her head.

Just that Chloe was hurting the last five years.

Just that they never ever gave up on her.

Just that Alex lied.

Betrayed her trust on so many levels.

And tried turning her into someone she's not.

"Are you okay shorty?" Amy asked concerned.

Beca nodded but all she could think about was how the Bellas worked hard to get to the bottom of the truth.

How Chloe had to keep things bottled up. The Bellas keeping their distance to try to ease Beca in.

Because they were concerned about her.

All while Alex wanted to fence her in.

"Thanks Amy." Beca muttered before heading towards the door.

Missing Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie by a good minute.

But Beca didn't know that.

At that moment her past was catching up to her present.

No, not her memories.

But her friends, her family…

…most of all Chloe.

Beca was shaking with anger when she got back to their flat.

She quickly grabbed Alex by the hand after navigating through polite chit chats with their guests for her party. "Beca, what the hell?" Alex demanded as soon as she slammed the door to their bedroom. "We have guests. For the love of God what did I do wrong this time?"

"You lied. You manipulated me." Beca seethed, shaking some more.

She wasn't sure if she was more angry than hurt.

Because it hurt a lot.

She loved Alex.

She really did, the best she could, and the best she knew how.

But Beca understood then that she could never really give Alex all her heart, because it wasn't hers to begin with.

Still, what hurt the most is after being conflicted about not wanting to hurt Alex, she's the one who ends up getting hurt.

Alex stood there in silence as she processed everything Beca blurted out. The DJ wasn't even screaming, but every word she said were like sharp knives to Alex's heart.

"You had no right Alex."

"How did… Who said…?"

"It doesn't matter how I know! And you were wrong you know, I was wrong. It's not scary. I can't even remember anything else but it still felt right being near Chloe. Being surrounded by people I used to know."

"Beca… I…"

"You what? Alex, tell me, was any of it even real? Do you really even love me or am I just a means to an end? Your puppet or whatever it is so that you can have to hold onto the past?"

"Beca, I really do love you. Would you just give me a chance to explain?" Alex pleaded, tears trailing down her cheeks.

Beca took a deep breath, her head a mess of thoughts. She was shaking, and she was resisting the urge to punch a wall or something. Alex tried to reach out to her, but Beca couldn't stand being near her at the moment. She shook her head and ran out.

Ran away.

As fast as she could.

She grabbed her laptop and her favorite pair of headphones from her home studio.

And before she knew it Beca was driving away, not entirely sure to where yet, just that she needed some time to think and clear her thoughts.

The Bellas were her friends.

She went to Barden.

She met Chloe there.

She fell in love with her, but apparently dated some other guy named Jesse.

But she broke up with Jesse.

Because she loved Chloe.

But she was in an accident.

So they never got the chance.

None of it still rang any bells in Beca's head.

Not a single one despite constantly repeating it in her head.

None of it rung true.

Other than the fact that she was in love with Chloe.

And Beca was slowly realizing she's always been in love with her.

She was realizing that Chloe's hold on her heart was what made her wanted to so desperately stay where she was, hoping she'd find her someday.

And Chloe's never stopped loving her too, she knew, she could feel it.

From that chance encounter at the record store.

To bumping into her at the club.

And for whatever reason Chloe was so precious to her that she could start remembering moments she shared with the redhead.

So maybe Beca won't ever remember everything about her past.

But she'll always have it with her.

She'll always have Chloe and their memories together that were returning slowly to her.

And she has all her life to look forward to, make new memories to treasure.

Just…

…right now she wants a moment of peace…

…find herself in the middle of this chaos. Who she really is at the core, and not just who someone wanted her to be.

Because before Beca can move on, she needs to find a common ground between her past and her present.

Between who she was before, and who she is now.


	18. Not About You, Not About Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be taking a break from Beca for now and stick with Chloe… (BUT NEXT ONE WILL BE PURE BECHLOE… maybe bliss? Am I teasing this too much?)
> 
> Thanks for all the comments so far and for all the support too! I decided to upload this one now because it would appear my weekend would be busier than today and tomorrow (this is what happens when you sell your soul to science folks-on that note, seeing the universe reflected in the tiny little things you do is a mind-blowing experience, so yeah).
> 
> I'll upload chapter 19 when I can but it might take a while since I do have plans on that chapter and I don't want to rush it (I'm saying 'a while' but knowing me I might end up uploading it sometime between Sunday-Tuesday… I need to keep my sanity somehow after all).
> 
> Anyways, I apologize in advance for leaving you hanging for 'a while'. And sorry for the long post.

It’s been four hours since Beca left.

No not her apartment.

Stacie’s apartment.

Amy was already at Stacie’s apartment when she, Aubrey, and Stacie arrived, the Australian looking a little worried.

Aubrey was quick to rush to Amy to help sort her out all while Stacie presented their evidences to Chloe and kept her updated as well.

Chloe looked in wonder and awe at all the work her friends had done.

All the possibly questionable things they’ve done, Chloe might add, but they did it all nonetheless.

Just for Beca.

Before Chloe could say anything though, Aubrey gasped. “What?”

And before long they found themselves regrouping at Aubrey and Chloe’s apartment.

Apparently Beca couldn’t wait any longer.

And she got all her answers from Amy as she left, storm brewing behind her steely blue eyes.

Chloe couldn’t help but worry for Beca. She tried ringing her phone a few times, but no answer.

So that’s how the Bellas decided to regroup at Chloe’s and Aubrey’s apartment after the little incident back at Stacie’s apartment. Chloe was hopeful that if Beca decided she needed to talk, she should be where the DJ expects her to be.

Chloe was still trying to catch up to the facts as her friends discussed plans and such among themselves.

First was Beca didn’t die. That info she’s pretty much accepted, processed, and thankful for.

Second, Alex found her personally and saved her life. More than just finding her and providing her shelter, but actually worked hard on saving her life. As much as Chloe hated her, she was thankful for Alex for that.

Third… well…

Chloe has always found life to be quite a paradox sometimes. Both simple and complex at the same time.

Alex lost her Julianne in a similar accident.

But unlike Beca, she failed to save her.

That much Chloe knew.

And it grieved her so much.

Probably as much as it grieved Chloe when she thought she lost Beca.

So maybe that was why Alex fought so hard to save Beca when she found her. The details were still a bit fuzzy but that much was clear. And maybe Alex thought this was her second chance.

It still wasn’t right though.

But maybe she’s just a little lost at the moment?

Chloe wasn’t sure.

She wanted to know why Alex didn’t hide the truth completely from Beca.

She could have easily faked her identity as Julianne… so why?

Did she actually fall in love with Beca?

Or did she like Beca’s qualities mixed with her idea of who she was… a reminder of the person Alex lost?

Chloe huffed while the Bellas continued their discussion on what step they should take next.

She wasn’t sure if she’s angry and if she hated Alex more than she is sympathetic and feels pity for her.

Because Chloe couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if Beca died…

…and if Alex never lost Julianne.

What if one day she ended up bumping into Julianne and thought she was Beca? What if Chloe would have mistaken it as her second shot and pursued her?

What if the situations where reversed?

Chloe didn’t know.

But she knows as much as to not impose who she wants Beca… or Julianne… to be.

And she knows that whatever Alex’s reasons were, what she did was never right.

They were selfish and shallow.

And Alex was being obsessed about the ghosts of the past.

Not that Chloe never clung onto whatever she could to keep Beca alive to her.

But Chloe never let it cloud her judgement or rationality.

Although she has to admit, that was all thanks to the Bellas, Aubrey most specially.

So maybe that was the difference in their situation? Alex may have everything, but she never really had anyone the same way Chloe has the Bellas.

Maybe all she ever had was Julianne…

But it was never really about what Chloe would have done if the situation was reversed.

And it was never really about what Alex should have done.

It was never really about what their difference was.

It was all about Beca.

Her choices, her decisions.

On who she wants to be, and on what she wants to do.

There was a knock on the door, something that finally caught the redhead’s attention. She wasn’t really paying much attention to the recent exchanges the Bellas were having but the knock on the door could be important.

Because Chloe hoped against all hope that it would be Beca.

But it wasn’t.

Instead it was Alex von Albrecht storming in.

“And who do you think you are to just storm in here like you own the place?” Aubrey snapped.

“Who do you think you are messing with Beca’s head?” Alex retorted.

And with that start Chloe decided to settle with ‘angry with Alex’ as the answer to how she feels at the moment.

“Um, excuse you? You were the one who kept her from us, remember?” Stacie jumped in.

But that fell on deaf ears. “Well, I hope you’re happy with all of your messing around. Beca upped and left hours ago and I have no idea where she went. She’s missing. And she’s very much quite upset.”

“And you’re blaming us for what exactly? Telling her the truth?” Amy responded. “Do you have a few screws lose in the head or what?”

“I can’t find her. She slipped away from her bodyguards, even Bash doesn’t have an idea where she is. He bumped into that guy, Swanson, and they’re looking for her. I can’t even track her with her phone because she turned it off!”

Well that explained why Chloe couldn’t reach her, or so the redhead thought.

Beca must have a clue her phone was bugged but that the signal disappears when she has it off.

“I actually don’t blame her.” Jessica commented.

“Yeah, I mean, I’d get away from you if I were her, what with all of this.” Ashley then added.

Lilly said something to add to that exchange, but no one heard her.

Maybe that was for the best, Chloe thought.

“You don’t understand!” Alex exclaimed, she was hyperventilating, extremely worried and scared.

“What do you think Beca would do? Drive off a cliff? She needs time and distance from all of this, especially from you.” Flo then responded.

But Alex looked like she was in her own world. “She was happy. She was fine. All until _you_ showed up.” she then said to Chloe.

“Are you seriously going to blame Chloe for all of this?” Emily chimed in, finding a sudden boost of confidence from all the hype. And truth be told, Chloe could tell she has had enough of just waiting on the sidelines. She was never really the type to just sit and watch as ‘injustice’ gets doled out. Stacie may or may not have also commented about how she was one of her and Beca’s greatest supporters, so yeah, there’s that. “We’ve lost Beca, we thought forever thanks to you. And we have all resisted the urge to just pull her back to where she belongs because we care about her. But she wants to know the truth. Who are we not to give that? We’re not a von Albrecht like you.”

“Oh what do you know? You’re just a little girl. Some amnesia cases… sometimes… patients just don’t ever regain their memories…” Alex started.

But before the supposedly brilliant Dr. von Albrecht could say anything she was cut off by Cynthia Rose. “So what? You decided to fill her head with lies instead?”

“She was scared.” Alex argued.

“And you took advantage of that!” Aubrey yelled.

“She had no one. I was the only one she trusted. And now she’s overwhelmed somewhere. I don’t know what she’ll do… I don’t know what she might…”

“And whose fault is that?” Chloe finally said, strangely enough she found that her voice was calm but firm. Like there was a silent edge to it. Quite frankly, she has also have had quite enough. “You never gave it the time of your day to really get to know her, so how the hell are you going to know what she’ll do when she’s mad? You don’t understand her, you don’t know who she really is, just what was on the surface of what you found out about her and her life. And don’t you but in again. I know that you saved her life but that didn’t give you the right to rule over it. Don’t spin it as some heroic tale of how you did what you did to protect her from hurt, from pain, from frustrations of seeing strangers in the place of people she actually used to know! It will never justify what you did!”

“You honestly think you wouldn’t do what I did if you were in my place? You’re here now chasing after her…” Alex started to say, her words icy and sharp.

Chloe wasn’t going to lie that it hit the mark on what she had been thinking minutes before Alex stormed in.

But she wasn’t going to let Alex win with a twisted justification.

“I’m chasing after Beca who is still Beca. You and I, our cases our different. We both had a second shot, only yours was something you stole from me when you stole Beca from us.”

“I fell in love with her.” Alex said.

And the thought of it made Chloe sick.

Because no matter how much she tried to understand Alex, no matter how much or little truth there is to that statement, this here right now wasn’t love.

“You fell in love with the image of her you were constructing after someone long gone. There’s a difference. Because at the end of the day, Beca’s still the same Beca I used to know.” Chloe retorted.

“Well, if you claim to know her so well then where the hell is she? Why don’t you know? Why did she run not just from me but from all of you?”

“Because she needs time to process everything.” Chloe said simply. “Not everything is about you Alex, or about choosing you over me. Not everything is about Beca being with me either. She needs space. She needs to breathe.” Chloe simply said.

Although she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t scared as hell at the moment.

She was worried too.

If there was one thing that Beca would predictably do when the going gets tough and she gets frustrated, it would be the fact that she would run.

Chloe knew that Beca’s changed since the Bellas.

But sometimes old habits die hard.

And the last time Beca ran off to somewhere lead to her being in a ferry crash that Chloe once upon a time thought cost the DJ her very life.

In a sense it did.

Because it erased all Beca had in the past.

All her life until the moment she woke up without a memory in Alex’s arms.

Alex commented something Chloe really didn’t understand.

She got stuck in the moment thinking about what Beca’s up to.

She snapped back to reality just to hear Aubrey’s comeback though.

“Are you deaf? Or did you just throw away any sense of logic your supposedly brilliant mind has out the window? Do you not really know how the hobbit thinks? What she does when she’s mad? Oh wait, you wouldn’t know. I’m guessing this is the first time your puppet finally decided to cut her strings.”

“Who do you think you are, Posen? Do you honestly think I have no idea what you’ve been up to lately? I can easily send you and your so called friends behind some cozy little cell where you can spend all your life rotting in…”

“Alex!” a tall blond man said, Chloe didn’t even notice him walking through the door as Stacie had apparently answered his knock until he was standing next to Alex.

“Alaric. Good timing, I was just about to explain to Posen…” Alex started.

But she was greeted by a stern look from Alaric. “Enough.” Alaric said. “This has to end Alex.”

“What do you mean?”

“I like Beca. I care for her. But your obsession with Julianne has to end. You did all you could.”

“I had the second shot Alaric, I took it. Are you really siding with these amateur detective wannabe’s?”

“I’m not siding with them or you.” Alaric said and sighed. “I want my sister back, and when you found Beca, I thought I’ll have you back. But you just got worse. You kept chasing after an image of the past that had been long gone. I think it’s time we right our wrongs.”

“What?” was all the Alex muttered a little breathless in return, completely stunned at Alaric’s words.

“So wait, you’re Alaric von Albrecht?” Chloe asked as she remembered what Aubrey recounted to her earlier. Truth be told, Chloe was a little confused. Aubrey said Alaric was a sly and cunning man. She understood why Alaric would side with the Bellas thanks to ‘the deal’ – as the Bellas called it – that they made with him. But something tells Chloe that Alaric actually does care for Beca…

…and for his younger sister…

“I take it that you are the redhead that’s been causing quite a stir.” 

“I’m not causing anything. I just don’t want to waste whatever second shot I have with Beca.”

“Then what are you still doing here? Your friends will hold down the fort and I can handle my sister. I suppose you know our beloved DJ the best? Go find her for us, be sure she’s safe. Whatever you do when you find her is up to you.” Alaric said.

“Alaric! What on earth…” Alex started to say.

But Chloe didn’t get the chance to hear the rest of it.

As soon as Alaric said to go look for Beca, a thought sparked in her head.

A distant memory of a sad tiny brunette that involved Chloe’s first actual fight with Beca during their time at Barden.

But thanks to that, she knew where to find Beca.

Or at least have an idea of where to start looking.

And she wasn’t going to waste time.

Because she knew the fear that was taking over Alex.

It was a fear of losing the DJ again.

Beca was, after all, a little reckless when she’s highly emotional.

But Chloe pushed the fear away, keeping her hopes alive.

She’ll find Beca.

She always seem to do so.


	19. My Always

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in the end I finished this chapter earlier than expected. Anyways, ENJOY.
> 
> I'm still deciding if the next one will be Chloe's or Beca's.
> 
> But that one might be shorter.
> 
> Also, this fic will have about 25 chapters, in other words…
> 
> …stuff's still about to go down as we reach the home stretch.
> 
> On that note, I might just end up finishing this over the weekend (or upload the last chapter by Tuesday) to focus on some stuff (I usually write the chapters before going to bed to clear my head I already have an idea with how I want to end it so...)

There was a surge of panic that filled Beca as soon as she reached her destination.

Panic mostly because she doesn't what to do next.

Her emotions where overwhelming her. For a while she managed to shut it off, working on mixes to busy her mind. But once her mixes seemed to circle back to a certain redhead, Beca felt the panic starting to take over her again.

Because she knows she can't stay in a standstill.

She needs to make a decision soon.

Return to an old life she still doesn't know?

Stay where she is?

Or find a middle ground?

Somehow it landed back to Chloe.

She was the middle ground.

She was what was connecting Beca to her past.

The constant Beca knew she could never live without.

And she knew this as a fact.

Because even when she didn't know she needed Chloe, didn't know who she even was, she felt the absence of her presence the last five years.

It was echoing through every corner of her heart.

A maddening want.

Her thoughts return to the redhead.

Even if she does want Chloe, and even though she knew she reassured her she wasn't going anywhere, Beca didn't know how to approach her again, especially now that she knows the truth.

Most importantly, she doesn't know where to start again.

Should she pick up the pieces of where she left off?

Or start anew?

Beca sighed as she sat down the edge of one of the picnic benches of a park somewhere in LA with a nice view of the immediate vicinity of the city that surrounded it. She needed time to think.

All she knew was that she really didn't have that much time to do so.

It didn't help that no matter how hard she tried she couldn't force herself to remember anything that Amy had told her.

She does know one thing though.

Beca knew she can't run away from making the decision.

"There you are." she heard Chloe say as she breathed in a sigh of relief. Beca looked up to see the redhead standing a few feet away uncertain if she should approach.

Beca was in awe. "How did you know I'd be here?" she asked in a low whisper.

"Lucky guess." Chloe simply replied. "I might've visited two other places and almost got into trouble before I found you here. You know, the park's supposed to be closed now but I figured you had your ways so I should probably have mine."

Beca looked at Chloe curios and impressed. She let out a chuckle as she shook her head. "How do you always find me?"

"You let me get to know you. All of you." was Chloe's reply. "I'm not gonna lie, that made me feel special."

Beca smiled.

She was worried over nothing.

The DJ was sure that Amy's told Chloe what had happened by then.

And yet it was like nothing had happened.

They just continue on being Beca and Chloe.

As if they never really had a beginning or an end.

They were just in an endless state of being.

Maybe that was true love?

"So I just told you once upon a time that I like hiding in parks at the dead of night?" Beca asked.

"No." Chloe said, her eyes sparkling like the few stars that shone that night. Beca could tell, Chloe was a little teary eyed, probably overwhelmed by all of this as well. And yet, no matter how hard of a topic it was to be brought up, Beca found it easy to talk to Chloe about it.

"We had a fight." Chloe finally said answering Beca's question. Beca quirked an eyebrow, wanting to know more about the fight – which sounded absurd to Beca, because why would she ever fight with Chloe? – and to know how this fight was connected to Chloe finding her.

"You can tell me about it, you know." Beca mumbled and Chloe nodded.

"You were skipping some Bella bonding activities. It was stupid, I know, especially since you hated movies, which was our go-to activity. I thought you were just hanging out with Jesse, who was after all your boyfriend at the time, and I don't know. I guess I got jealous when I didn't have the right to. So I got upset with you and you got upset with me. Apparently it was so bad because you ran away and no one could find you for hours. I thought you packed up and left for LA."

"Why on earth would I do that?" Beca asked with a chuckle.

"Because a year before that, your freshman year, all you wanted to do was leave Barden and go to LA." Chloe answered. "And I guess I was afraid you finally left."

"I'd be stupid if I did." Beca found herself saying and this time it was Chloe who chuckled.

"Anyways, turns out, you weren't spending time with Jesse and you've been dodging him too all because you wanted some alone time with yourself. Something that simple. But we said some pretty hurtful things to each other, they were silly and thoughtless but apparently enough to drive you into hiding. I looked all over Barden for you until I discovered your secret spot. This secret little garden atop one of the oldest building at Barden that had a great view of the place."

"So you looked for me at every park with a view?" Beca asked astounded and amazed.

"Yeah, you told me when I found you there that it was your secret spot because the view helped you clear your thoughts. I apologized for everything I said and so did you. That was our first big fight, you know, not counting the whole Regional mess with the Bellas the year before. I'll tell you all about it sometime, I mean, if you want."

Beca nodded. "That would be great."

"So, you were mixing?" Chloe asked as she pointed at the now closed laptop right next to Beca being hidden by a small blanket. "And last time I saw you, you were wearing glasses?"

"Yeah, I might have hastily thrown it to my car seat." Beca said in response before patting the space next to her on the picnic table. "I won't bite." she then said with a smirk.

Chloe slowly made her way next to Beca and sat down next to her before looking up to give her a nervous smile. "So how are you?" she asked, concern evident in her tone.

"I don't know." was Beca's truthful answer. "I have no past and the last five years of my life was pretty much a lie, so far, things can only go up, right?" Beca joked.

And Chloe shook her head, laughing a little.

God, how Beca loved to hear her laugh.

It was like the most beautiful musical sound she has ever heard in her life.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to Beca." Chloe said and for some reason Beca couldn't stop smiling.

Because Chloe keeps putting her first.

It was breaking Chloe's heart a little, Beca could see. She didn't know herself what she wanted to do, and Chloe must be desperately dying on the inside to know what happens next.

Chloe who lost Beca.

Chloe who grieved for Beca.

Chloe who kept on being broken apart over those years.

And yet she's willing to bear the pain of not knowing what happens next, the uncertainty and the possibility of Beca walking away.

But how could Beca walk away?

She was deeply and madly in love with Chloe.

That was the only one true thing she knows at the moment.

Because what her mind had erased, her heart could not forget.

Maybe that's why Beca was smiling.

"So what now?" Chloe asked after a few minutes of silence.

Of just looking at each other and getting lost in each other's eyes.

"How about we just stick around for a while?" Beca replied and, not waiting for Chloe to reply, laid down the picnic table, closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening it again looking at the night sky.

It was a little disappointing that there were barely any stars out but Beca thought, all of the stars she needed she could see shining in Chloe's eyes anyways.

Chloe laughed a little again. Beca thought that Chloe must think she was being silly, and maybe she was, but their moment just then was the only thing that was making sense to Beca so she wanted to hang on to it for as long as she could.

It was like being Chloe was the only thing that could bring peace in all the chaos happening around her at the moment.

So Beca was glad that the redhead shifted around and laid down the picnic table too. Their heads pressed close together in a way somewhat reminiscent of one of Beca's dreams – she was in a tent with Chloe, they were facing each other upside down but the dream was all foggy that Beca couldn't remember all the details.

Could it also have been a memory?

Beca wasn't sure.

She tried to figure it out the best she could while stealing glances at the redhead who tried her best to keep her eyes staring out in the night sky.

But Beca could notice that something was on her mind.

"This happened before, didn't it?" Beca found herself asking.

And for whatever reason she was feeling a little nervous as she awaited Chloe's response.

"Not exactly this." Chloe responded sounding a little nervous herself.

Chloe took a deep breath and finally turned over to face Beca who was giving her a quizzical look. "It's nothing." Chloe said, gently brushing a strand of hair away from the DJ's face, a light smile dancing on her lips. "Don't worry about it." she reassured.

But there was something nudging Beca, telling her it was most definitely not nothing.

"You know you can ask me anything, right?" Chloe said, attempting to change the topic

Beca smirked. "So tell me about this 'nothing' situation."

Chloe shook her head and smiled. "I meant about your past. I'm sorry I never told you anything, I just, I didn't want to…"

"Throw everything at me all at once? I get it Chlo. You wanted to handle this situation with care. Amy told me."

"Right." Chloe mumbled. "But still, ask away, for real. I know Amy gave you a brief overview of your life at Barden, but I was your best friend."

"Was?" Beca asked, her voice dropping into a low whisper.

She didn't want her and Chloe to exist only in the past.

"Well…" Chloe started to say, but she didn't quite know what to add to that. "I still could be, if you'll have me."

And Beca almost smirked and planned to say yes…

…only…

…somewhere deep inside her, she knew she didn't want Chloe to be just her best friend.

So she shook her head and Chloe looked a little hurt, Beca could tell, but the DJ was quick to reassure her.

"I want you to be more." Beca said in a hushed tone. "Chlo, I want you to be more." she said a little louder, looking into the redhead's eyes to try and figure out what she was thinking.

Chloe looked a little at a loss – in her defense, this was not how she thought things would turn out to be when she went to look for Beca – before realization finally started dawning in Chloe's mind.

"Beca…" Chloe said, her voice sounded uncertain but Beca could tell, the hope in the redhead's eyes was there.

Beca could feel it coming, crashing down on her. Gravity pulling her closer and closer to Chloe as her eyes flickered between Chloe's eyes and her lips.

And Beca felt her lips parting, inching closer and closer to Chloe's own – like the shorter the distance between them, the more unbearable it was because all she wanted was to feel Chloe - until she found her lips on Chloe's own.

It was short and chaste kiss as Beca pulled away, her lips still tingling from the short moment she felt Chloe's lips on hers.

But barely a minute passed before her lips quivered and gave way to the want, the need, of kissing Chloe Beale.

Of wanting to let Chloe know everything she feels for her.

Because no words could ever be enough to capture what it was that she felt for Chloe.

Like all that Beca needed to do was kiss Chloe and she could breathe again.

And Beca felt nothing quite like it before.

The feeling of knowing that everything was as it was supposed to be.

That nothing felt more right.

Especially when Chloe kissed Beca back eagerly.

And the only thought that made its way into Beca's mind before the sparks and the fireworks took over completely was 'Finally.'

Like her soul breathed in a sigh of relief because it finally found its home…

…where it belongs…

…to Chloe.

And Beca could feel herself to be alive for the first time since…

…well, if she was being honest, forever.

All her worries being washed completely away.

Because Beca knew that no matter what happens, she'll always have Chloe.

Chloe tugged herself up a little as she tried to pull Beca closer, but there's only so much you could when you're facing each other upside down and before long they both found themselves smiling and giggling into the kiss.

"I'm sorry." Chloe said, giggles bursting in between. "Not quite how I imagined it would be."

"I think it was better that what I dreamed it to be." Beca replied and Chloe smiled back.

And for a while the two of them were simply looking into each other's eyes. Not wanting to break the silence that had taken over them.

Because sometimes even in silence you get the best conversations.

It just have to be with the right person.

Chloe took in a deep breath and smiled as she sighed. "Beca I…" she started to say.

And Beca smirked. "I know Chlo." she said. "I know." Chloe smiled back, message fully received, and Beca pulled Chloe closer, pressing her forehead onto Chloe's own. "Me too." she then whispered.

Because it was their universal truth.

Beca loved Chloe.

And Chloe loved her too.

It was as simple as that.

"Beca?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm freezing." Chloe said with a light giggle.

Which made sense. It was late fall.

Beca nodded and sat up, Chloe following suit. She only had one small blanket she kept in her car during her daring escapes. "We should head to someplace warm then." she said, not truly knowing where she wanted to go.

And truthfully Beca was dreading to return home, whether it be Chloe's place or back to Alex's flat.

Though the latter was out of the question.

Beca was pretty much hurt, the wounds fresh and all.

Chloe simply nodded as a response to Beca's question, feeling for a phone in her jacket pocket.

And Beca was feeling the dread creep back into the pits of her stomach until she realized that Chloe was actually switching her phone off.

"What?" Chloe asked.

"You're not calling the cavalry?"

"Beca," Chloe said as she stood up and stretched a little, "I know you. I'm not going to force you to come back with me. Besides, I think we should let things cool down first."

And that was when it hit Beca. "Wait, what do you mean by that? Why were you looking for me in the first place?"

As soon as Chloe said "Alex…" Beca pretty much knew why.

She didn't really need to hear the rest of what Chloe had to say.

And so the dread decided to linger for a little while longer.

Of course Alex would freak out.

But she didn't have to charge the fort and be all 'where is my fair maiden'?

First of all, she was never really hers.

"Beca," Chloe started to say after her little explanation, "again, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Beca nodded, looking rather thoughtful.

The two of them made their way back to the parking lot in comfortable silence, Beca reaching out for Chloe's hand, entwining them in the process.

She wanted to keep to her redhead close.

She doesn't want to lose her again.

Somehow she thought things would be complicated between them, especially when the truth was finally out and Beca's memory of the past seemingly forever gone.

But that doesn't mean they can't make new ones.

"Chloe?" she finally asked as they made their way back to the parking lot. "If I ask you to just run away with me and leave all this all behind, will you say yes?"

"Within a heartbeat." was Chloe's reply. "No questions asked."

Which made Beca smile.

"But," Chloe said and Beca sighed.

Of course there would be a 'but'.

"But would we really be happy? Running away instead of facing the challenges ahead of us?"

Beca looked at Chloe thoughtfully. "No, I suppose not. We'll always be worried about what's going to come chasing after us."

"How about a compromise? We go to wherever the night takes us, but tomorrow morning, we go back to face the storm together."

"As long as you promise me we'll be facing the storm together Beale." Beca replied. She quickly took a few things in her car, left her phone there, and joined Chloe in hers.

"So where to Ms. Mitchell?"

Beca shrugged, the long night ahead waiting with such a sweet promise of endless possibilities. "Anywhere." was the answer Beca finally settled on.

Because as long as she had Chloe, Beca knew she would be alright.


	20. One Step Forward, A Thousand Steps Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I settled with having this as Beca’s chapter too… next one will be Chloe’s.  
> Since the fic is ending, do you guys want a sequel? It would be after the ‘Make A Wish’ sequel is done but, yeah… if you want a sequel or suggestions/requests for that, let me know. I’m always open to any comments or thoughts you guys have…  
> …‘cause if there’s a sequel, I can already see something that can possibly fit in to make way for that, it would change the ending of the story I had in mind for this first part though, but it would be thrown in the second one. Or I don’t know, we’ll see. It depends on the feedback on that idea.  
> Anyways, thanks for all the support so far! You guys are amazing as always. I sincerely apologize for the first part of this chapter…  
> Next chapter might be up late tonight if not tomorrow morning.

Chloe smiled the most dazzling smile Beca has ever seen on her.

And it made Beca incredibly happy just to see Chloe smile.

Reassuring her everything would be alright.

For some reason they were on a ferry.

She wasn’t really sure why.

Just that she remembered asking the redhead to take her away somewhere.

It was a beautiful day out.

But a storm was brewing in some far away cloud and soon broke out.

Something happened, Beca wasn’t sure what it was either.

Just that she decided to hold onto Chloe for as much as she could.

Before long the water was all around them, surrounding them.

Fragments of what Beca was holding onto dearly were slipping away.

All while Beca was keeping a tight hold of Chloe.

But Chloe was slipping from her grasps.

The waves crashing harder and harder against her tiny frame, knocking the wind out of her lungs as she tried her hardest to not let Chloe go.

But her body could only take so much and she starts to sink...

Watching in awe at how beautiful the light was dancing on the surface of the water was despite the storm.

And wondering at how easy it truly was to just let go.

But before she completely gave up, Chloe reached out to her and pulled her up.

Only for the redhead to be swept away by the coming waves, growing more and more powerful.

Beca tried her best to swim as far out as she could to save Chloe.

But she was gone.

All that was left was despair.

And hurt.

And a sense of loss that was too much to bear.

All because Chloe was gone.

Was this what the redhead felt when she thought she lost Beca?

‘Cause it sure felt like hell.

To reach out and touch something right in front of her.

Only for it to slip away or be violently taken from you.

And the thought of it shook Beca to the core.

Beca woke up with a jolt, completely soaked with cold sweat. Her eyes tried to quickly adjust to the darkness of the dimly lit motel room they found themselves settling in sometime around 2 in the morning and felt for Chloe.

It was barely 4 am, and the panic was rising as she desperately checked if Chloe was still there.

And thankfully she was, sleeping soundly right next to her.

Well, technically. Chloe somehow managed to find herself at the edge of the bed, a little further away than Beca would have wanted her to be.

Still Beca felt herself breathe in a sigh of relief.

“What’s wrong?” Chloe mumbled as she turned to face Beca and the DJ quickly lunged into the warmth that was Chloe’s arms. She pulled Chloe closer, wrapping the redhead in a tight embrace and nuzzled her head somewhere near crook of Chloe’s neck and near her chest.

Beca found it comforting to hear her redhead’s heart beating as she held onto her tighter.

She was definitely not letting Chloe go.

“Nothing. Just a weird dream.” Beca said reassuringly.

And thankfully Chloe was still too sleepy to push for questions.

The next time Beca woke up, it was thanks to her grumbling stomach.

She felt a little surge of panic when she noticed Chloe wasn’t there but soon breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the clicking sound of the door to their room. “Hey.” Chloe said, a bag of packed food in hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just hungry.” Beca replied, pushing her fears aside.

Somehow, sometime, somewhere, someway, Beca just found herself feeling like a lost puppy without Chloe.

Not that she’d admit that.

Though even Bash noticed it when Beca wasn’t even sure what was going on.

And she couldn’t help but wonder if she ever felt like that before too.

Like Chloe was every breath she took, and without her meant she was no longer living.

Beca found herself smiling like an idiot as she kept stealing glances at the redhead eating her breakfast, sitting across Beca on their shared bed, Chloe doing the same thing.

Not like anything happened.

Chloe was just getting tired of driving endlessly and Beca herself was feeling exhausted that’s why they decided to check in at a motel just on the outskirts of the city.

The rest of the early hours of morning was spent with nonstop conversations about anything they could think of – mostly Beca asking questions about what they were up to at Barden and Chloe being all coy with some of the things she’d remember, comment on, then simply shrugging it off – until they both dozed off.

“Do we really have to go back?” Beca asked as Chloe started cleaning up.

“Well, for one thing, we’re not really packed for running away Beca.”

“Yeah, but we can always buy new clothes.” Beca argued and Chloe laughed.

“You’re really not letting that thought go, aren’t you?”

“Chloe, you’re all I want.” Beca simply said outright making Chloe blush a little.

Beca smirked at the effect her words had on Chloe. “And don’t you think it would be romantic as hell? We’d wind up at some exotic place and be whoever we can be.”

“Yes, but what about everything else? Everyone else? All that we’re leaving behind?”

“Well, you’re all I need.”

Chloe smiled. “It would be perfect Beca. But like I said last night, if we run away, we’ll always be watching our backs at who’s chasing after us.”

Beca nodded, it was true.

Something tells Beca that Alex won’t let her go that easily.

But there was still that fear creeping slowly, taking hold of her.

A fear that she might lose Chloe.

Or maybe that was the nerves of facing the unknown?

Her dream was that Chloe took her away as she asked.

But they were on a ferry… like the accident that led her to Alex…

The ferry was the past catching up.

And she was afraid that whatever it was that was going to be thrown their way would be too much.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Chloe asked in a gentle tone.

Beca sighed. “Nothing, just…”

“I know you’re not going anywhere Beca. I won’t either.” Chloe said, reaching out to give Beca’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “And I don’t want you to do anything you’re not ready to do Beca, but other people are worried for you too.”

And Beca believed every word Chloe said.

So what was she so afraid of?

She wasn’t sure.

But maybe it’s just because for once in the last five years, Beca’s found something she was truly afraid to lose.

The ride back to the city was spent in comfortable silence.

Of stolen glances.

And few pit stops along the way, mostly because Beca wanted to prolong their journey.

Mostly because she wanted to spend as much time she could with Chloe.

Because what was going to happen next still loomed in great uncertainty.

Beca could feel her hands getting all cold and clammy as Chloe pulled into her usual parking spot.

It felt like every step that they would take towards the apartment building was another step towards something that was inevitable to finally happen, whatever it was.

“You can stay in the car if you want.” Chloe said noting the deep steady breaths Beca was taking. “I’m not going to force you to come in. I can grab some stuff, you get settled in the driver’s seat, and if you still want to runaway…”

Beca smiled. “Finally have you seeing it my way?”

“Only temporarily. I don’t know what’s happening there. I know I switched my phone off last night but it was already dying then so… you know… I’m not sure what’s going on with Bree and everyone, or if Alaric and _his sister_ are still there.”

“You’re a little scared too?”

“Of course I am. I don’t want to lose you ever again Beca.” Chloe said. “I love you Beca Mitchell, you know that.”

Beca nodded.  “I know.” she said as she closed her eyes. She took a deep breath before looking into Chloe’s eyes. “I love you too Chloe Beale.”

Chloe smiled softly at Beca, taking the DJ’s hands into hers, entwining them before looking up to meet Beca’s eyes again. “So what’s the final plan?”

Beca hummed. She wasn’t sure what to do.

“How about we both see what’s going on and we make a run for it if things take a turn for the worse? You think the Bella’s will have our back?”

Chloe laughed. “They always do.” Chloe said reassuringly.

Beca leaned over to give Chloe a quick kiss. “We can do this.”

“Don’t worry Beca, you have me. I won’t let you go without a fight, not this time. I’m never letting you go again.” Chloe reaffirmed.

And Beca nodded.

Somehow she knew.

As long as she have Chloe, memories or not, past or future uncertain, blissfully happy or in trying times…

…just for as long as she’s with her…

…everything will be alright.


	21. Not Without A Fight This Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here’s Chloe’s chapter.  
> Thanks for the comments so far.  
> Almost at the home stretch.

Chloe was a little confused at the scene that was going on as soon as she opened the door to her apartment, her hand gripping Beca’s tighter than ever.

Beca gave a squeeze back, trying hard to suppress a chuckle, as they stepped into the living room, Chloe clearing her throat to get everyone’s attention.

But they were all a little engrossed with their own business.

What was going on exactly?

Well…

A rather tall and dashing Italian guy in a suit - Dantes, the head of Alex’s security detail – had Jesse raised slightly above from the floor. Bash was trying to get him to put Jesse down. Some of Alex’s other guards were trying to manhandle the Bellas, mainly Flo, Jessica, and Ashley were being subdued, Alaric trying to calm them down. Amy was wrestling on the floor with one of them while Lilly’s tied some of them, mouths gagged and all, to one side of the room. Emily was too busy trying to help Benji whose nose was apparently bleeding. CR was busy trying to get one of the suits to let Stacie go while Stacie was too preoccupied by said suit and the verbal smack-down that was quickly escalating between Alex von Albrecht and Aubrey.

Chloe tried clearing her throat a little louder this time.

Still nothing.

Truth be told, Chloe was a little impressed that their neighbors haven’t complained with all the racket they’ve been making.

“Should we cough even louder or just stand here until they all notice our presence? I mean we can probably slip away now if that’s still what you want Becs, I don’t think they’ll be any wiser.”

Beca laughed a little, finally letting Chloe’s hand go as she placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly.

That did the trick.

“Beca!” they all exclaimed. Dantes finally let Jesse down, Bash got all of the other suits to back off, the Bellas simply hanging around, waiting for something to happen – because they were sure that something was going to happen.

Alex didn’t waste any time and crossed the room towards where Chloe and Beca were standing, Chloe positioning herself in front of Beca feeling rather protective of her.

“I’m guessing it was your idea to leave the phone and Beca’s car in the parking lot, and take her where? Huh? People are worried sick and you decide that the two of you can take a vacation?”

Chloe sighed. “I’m guessing you’re the reason for all this commotion? Believe it or not Alex, that whole thing was all Beca.”

“Really?” Alex scoffed, trying to reach out to Beca but Chloe pushed her back.

“No. You don’t get to just grab her and take her away. Beca has the right to make a decision, which ever one she makes.” Chloe argued.

And truth be told she was afraid that if Alex reached her then she might just take Beca away.

That she’ll never see her again.

And Chloe knew she couldn’t live with the thought of it.

“And what? You’re thinking she’ll just go back to the way things were with you before all of this.” was Alex’s reply.

“No, I don’t expect that. But she has every right to do as she pleases and lead her life the way she decides to.”

Which was the truth Chloe knew wholeheartedly.

And wherever those decisions take Beca, Chloe was sure to follow this time.

She’s not going to waste any more time.

She wasn’t going to let her slip away again.

“Yeah, I’m sure your intentions are all but pure. That’s why it took you what, a good ten hours before you came back here with Beca?” Alex retorted rather venomously.

And that stirred Chloe’s anger even more.

Despite the fact that she was doing her best to be calm and civilized.

“She’s not yours to claim Alex, and she wanted time to think. I just gave her that.”

“Yeah, but apparently she didn’t want time away from you.” she spouted back.

“Well excuse me for being the only one who can understand her, for being the one who actually wanted to be there for her. She just found out the…”

“Being the one there for her? Really Chloe? Where were you the last five years? I was the one who nursed her back to health? And what did you do? Mourned her lost and moved on?”

That definitely hit her the wrong way.

Because really, they were back to that argument again.

“We thought she was dead because of you, you selfish…” Chloe started to say but Alex never stopped speaking,

“Yeah, and it didn’t even occur to you to…”

“Whatever justification you think you can give, I already know it is going to be pure and utter bull.” Chloe simply said.

Talking to the supposedly brilliant doctor was like talking to a rock.

“Just like it’s pure and utter bull you spent a night at some motel with Beca.”

“How do you – do you have no respect for privacy at all? If you knew where we were all along then why didn’t you just storm in like you did here last night?”

“You were already gone when I did. And believe me, I would’ve.”

“Oh, of course, because what? Beca’s a possession to you? And I was what, stealing her away?” Chloe threw back.

“I’m only looking out for her well-being.”

“NO!” Chloe all but shouted. “You are not. You’re being obsessed at keeping her with you!”

“And you’re not obsessed at chasing away the past? Hold onto whatever little of it you can still cling on to? You honestly think that what, that while you dreamt of her every single night she was holding onto you somehow too? Is that how much of a fool you are? Beca’s never even been yours to begin with. She was his.” she argued, pointing at Jesse. “Did you dream about her too back then? Want her so much but didn’t know how you could have her? Until what?  Until you finally get what you want from her, I mean you probably already – ” Alex started to say.

That is, before Chloe slapped her.

Like her hands were thunder and lightning all at the same time.

Fast and heavy.

Alaric looked a little surprised, and before the suits could reach Chloe for slapping Alex, he had managed to stare them down.

Chloe was also pretty sure all the Bellas gasped.

Aubrey was completely speechless too.

Because as scary as Chloe could get when she’s really mad, they’ve never seen her actually slap someone before.

Chloe can plot all the take downs of different acapella teams as much as she want, and maybe she’d sometimes suggest doing more than plotting, but she was never really the violent type.

She wouldn’t even dare hurt a fly.

But she’s really had enough.

How dare she!?

How dare she say, or even attempt to insinuate what she was saying?

Chloe could feel a numbness in her heart as her anger rose.

“You have no right.” she said, her voice distant and cold. “You don’t even love Beca. You’re stuck in whatever fairytale land you’ve constructed for you to live in, trying to desperately want to live out the days you’ve lost with her. With Julianne. But Beca’s not Julianne. And it will never account for the fact that you stole her from us. That you stole five whole years from us. Five years we could’ve spent with her. And if you honestly think you can get your hands on her again without going through me at the very least, then you’re wrong.”

Alex had no response to that.

She was pretty stunned to say the least.

Chloe wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.

But she really didn’t have any more time to think.

Because right after her little speech Chloe felt her heart sink, her stomach lurch with a fear that had suddenly filled her.

Bash jumping through the furniture to reach the other side of the room.

He was the first to see it coming.

The Bellas all rushing in to reach what was behind her too within seconds of Bash.

Jesse and Benji were on their feet too.

Alex starting to come to her senses.

It was an unexpected turn.

All thanks to one DJ.

And a soft little thud.

 


	22. Too Many Thoughts, So Much Noise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger, it was either write the obvious or cliffhanger... so yeah, cliffhanger it was...
> 
> Anyways, this is Beca's POV of last chapter…
> 
> …aka why she suddenly collapsed.
> 
> Also, to switch things up a bit, next chapter will be Alex's (which might take some time to write, I dunno').
> 
> Dun dun dun...?

It was a strange sensation.

Like there was this constant buzzing sound in her head.

Beca felt this before.

She just wasn't sure on the when and the where part.

It was like her blood sugar was dropping, and all other feeling was disappearing slowly, one at a time.

And she was fighting it off, trying to hold on.

It started when she was walking back to Chloe's apartment, hand in hand with the redhead herself.

At first Beca thought it was the feeling of dread, or something close to it, she wasn't sure. After all, Chloe did tell her what had happened back at their place before she left to search for Beca.

And Beca was sure that Alex and Alaric were still there.

Alex wasn't just going to suddenly give up the fight.

Beca was right of course.

There was a bit of a scenario happening before their eyes. It was, at least for its short while, a good enough distraction from whatever it was that Beca was feeling.

And Beca couldn't help but wonder if it was always a chaotic circus like that with the Bellas, especially when they're up against something.

Somehow there was a part of her that was telling her it was.

And yet she totally found it endearing.

She held on to trying to keep herself stable, getting everyone's attention, trying to be immersed in what was right in front of her as much as she could.

But the strange sensations she's been feeling came back with a vengeance when the little scuffle before her finally broke up and Alex was quick to charge, Chloe stepping up to keep the doctor away from her.

And the two quickly exchanged heated words.

Beca felt dizzy after that. She could hear Chloe and Alex argue on but it wasn't them that she was hearing.

Or for that matter seeing.

She wasn't sure what prompted it to suddenly happen.

But it simply did.

Flashes of a different home setting were appearing right in front of her. Different voices arguing, a man and a woman's voice. Beca couldn't understand what was going on, all she knew was there was an unbearable pain in her chest, an overwhelming sadness taking over her, and she couldn't listen anymore so she sought refuge to drown out the noises she heard.

She found peace in her isolation from the world, only surrounded by the notes, the beats, the rhythm of the music that had constantly surrounded her.

But that wasn't what was happening in reality. It felt surreal. Because Beca was simply standing right behind Chloe as she and Alex continued their diatribe.

It felt strange.

Alex said something about not being there when Beca needed her the most.

But Beca never heard the reply Chloe gave.

Instead she sees a flash of being in that other house again, standing by the frame of the front door, watching as a man walked away. She felt a hand on her shoulders gripping her reassuringly as she was trying to resist the unbearable need to cry.

And that overwhelming emptiness that had washed over her, swallowed her whole as she built her impenetrable walls up.

But Beca couldn't think much about it.

Her head was pounding.

Like tiny needles were perforating through her skull all at once.

Her heart was racing.

She could feel every beat echoing through her body.

The whole room was spinning.

She was sure everything was happening within seconds around her.

But it felt like it was drawing out to forever.

She looked around to see the Bellas who were ready to jump in and defend Chloe.

But the Bellas, as they were then, weren't the ones Beca saw.

Instead there was a flash of a snobby blonde barking out instructions, never listening to a word Beca says.

A giddy and clumsy tall and younger girl who kept talking about her love for the Bellas.

An Australian who she had late night conversations with when she couldn't talk to a certain redhead about what she was going through.

A tall brunette who kept groping herself during one hell of a train-wreck performance while wearing something akin to a stewardess costume.

A highly motivated and persevering foreign exchange student.

A silent but deadly Asian who cuts the ropes that entangled her up above the ground.

Two people she couldn't ever tell apart.

And an incredibly fierce singer who was also a kind friend.

The campfire comes back to mind

A chaotic scene at some rehearsal space.

A wild rush after an amazing performance in front of a wild crowd.

Being in a quad hearing Chloe say something about making sounds with their mouths.

Chloe discovering her knack for mixing.

Chloe who pretty much waltzed in with such ease, obliterating the walls she's carefully built.

All while the other girls started chipping away from what remained of it.

And it was like Beca could feel the warmth of the sun again, after living so long in the cold darkness behind her walls.

Beca briefly returned to reality as she saw Chloe slap Alex.

And the flashes came at a faster pace.

A tall intimidating German.

An internship at some music label.

Late night radio station gigs with the redhead constantly dropping by with food and snacks.

An awkward talk with her mom and dad about college and a deal that included Barden University.

A best friend that kept insisting for her to give movies a chance.

A happy Christmas where she got her first pair of headphones.

More and more, flashes and thoughts flooding into Beca's mind.

What seemed to be a serenade at an empty pool with the Bellas.

Late night talks with Chloe where Beca would sneak into her room with whatever pretense she could come up with just because she misses her company.

Her first Christmas with the Bellas.

A Halloween party where the Bellas sans Chloe blamed her for a devious prank.

Faster and faster.

Like watching the movie of your life in flash forward.

As the room spun and spun around.

An unbearable pain in her head.

More flashes.

Enjoying the calm view of the water and the city on a ferry.

A stupid argument at a hospital.

Christmas parties and birthdays at the Bella house.

Chloe who keeps on sneaking in her shared room with Amy, having late night conversations and returning the favor for all the times Beca did the same.

Jesse. Aubrey. Stacie. Cynthia Rose. Amy.

Names becoming more and more clear.

As the pounding in her head got worse and worse.

Lilly. Jessica. Ashley. Flo. Emily.

More flashes, more snippets of the past.

Memories rushing in all at once.

All coming down on her as she felt the earth beneath her feet disappear, gravity pulling her in an endless pit below.

Sensory overload as she sees nothing but the past that eluded her so.

Until the reality in front of her was coming into view once again.

Then that overwhelming feeling of weakness as she fought the pain.

The blood draining completely from her body.

Her head becoming numb.

Hearing slowly disappears.

Visions getting clouded in darkness.

Beca steals a last glance of Chloe until all she could see were colored outlines and distorted shapes.

A sensation unlike any other.

Like a dam breaking as she lost all her strength, all her memories came flooding back.

All as Beca landed on the floor with a soft thud.


	23. One Fateful Day...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Alex's chapter.
> 
> I'm still deciding between Beca and Chloe for the next one but I'm definitely ending this fic with Chloe.
> 
> Also, I won't be able to update tomorrow but I'll upload the last two chapters on Tuesday and Wednesday night. :)
> 
> Anyways, sequel it is! Although I'm still thinking up of directions for it (I might end up using material from an earlier fic I made that I wasn't really able to develop much…). I'm also deciding between something lighter than this or something similar to this (but then again even my lighter work has a touch of angst, so you know…).
> 
> I'm definitely ending this fic the way I intended it to though.

Alex took a deep breath as she leaned against the wall of Beca's hospital room, hands in her white coat.

The day didn't turn out like she expected but in the end she was glad about it.

Because truth be told, she's never felt lighter.

Beca was still unconscious, she hasn't woken up since she collapsed but all her tests were normal, so that much was a sigh of relief.

So really, they're all just waiting for her to wake up.

And Alex was just pretty much making the most of what time she has left to be alone with the DJ. Her eyes never left Beca a she watched her in her sleep. Her thoughts going on a lot of different things.

Because whatever happens when Beca wakes up, Alex was sure of one thing, she's lost a fight that wasn't hers to begin with.

She's a little thankful that Chloe was with the blonde, Aubrey, talking to Beca's parents along with Alaric, and so she could have this little moment.

All while her friends where standing guard by her door, trying to be sure Alex won't do anything stupid.

But she wouldn't.

At least not anymore.

Her cheek still stung, clearly Chloe placed everything she had in that slap, but if anything it did do one good thing.

It woke her up.

Snapped her out of her delusions.

And for the first time in a long time, she felt like her old self again.

She wasn't really sure when, but she was sure it happened.

Somewhere along the way of grieving for Julianne, a part of her died too.

And secretly she's been jealous of the redhead on how she managed to keep from losing herself in that same process.

Maybe it was because of their friends.

Or that blonde force of nature that was Chloe's best friend.

But something tells Alex it was just the way Chloe loved Beca.

Pure and untainted.

Alex sighed again.

She wishes she still could love like that one day.

Despite all that has happened and all that she's done.

"A lot can happen in one fateful day." Alex found herself saying to a still unconscious Beca. "It can change your life for the better or it can change it for the worse." she then said and before long she found herself recounting her story to the DJ.

Julianne was a lot like Beca, in terms of their childishness and stubbornness.

And like the DJ, she usually preferred to be alone.

But she was never really cynical.

She believed in destiny and fate and the impossible and stuff.

Something that Alex had always found endearing considering she was like her.

She was a doctor too.

They met in med school, being each other's rival for being the top student, and for whatever reason Julianne fell for her.

And Alex never questioned herself for falling in love with the girl.

Because how could she not?

Julianne was extremely gifted with her hands.

She was brilliant and loving and kind.

But in all the ways where she'll only show it to the people that mean the most to her.

And she was also the only one who could ever outsmart Alex.

They were essentially the same person, different in ways that complimented each other.

And then they had to get into a fight.

One stupid fight that escalated into something incredibly ridiculous.

Because both of them were stubborn.

And because both of them didn't want to concede that the other was right.

But nevertheless, a friend of theirs got engaged and they had to attend the party.

Alex wasn't really up for it because they were still in their stupid fight.

And she remembered hating herself for that.

She remembered Julianne saying something that if you love someone you won't give up on them. To this day Alex wasn't sure if she meant that she won't ever give up on Alex or if she was still trying to prove that she was right.

See, the thing they were arguing about was that they had different perspectives about a certain patient in a hospital who was in a comatose and on life support. His wife doesn't want to pull the plug, still hoping for a miracle that he'll pull through. His family and relatives wanted him to be at ease and no longer suffer. They wanted to let go.

So maybe that's why she's clinging onto that stupid thought.

She agreed with the family's thoughts.

Julianne agreed with the wife.

The thing is, the guy wasn't even their patient.

He was just brought up when a conflicted colleague wanted to hear their thoughts on the matter.

One little thing and she let it get out of hand.

She should have stopped Julianne from going to that stupid party on that stupid yacht alone.

She should have pulled her close and conceded.

Let that stupid fight end.

Instead she let her go alone.

But she couldn't have predicted the storm that was to come.

And when she finally heard of it, it was a little late.

Alex remembered arriving at the yacht club, the storm picking up. Somehow she could feel some sort of foreboding gnawing somewhere inside of her as some of the guests for their friend's party were missing.

Something bad had happened.

Some malfunction of sorts that got aggravated by some leak or something.

She wasn't really paying attention to it.

All she knew was the boat was essentially sinking, the storm was raging on, and that Julianne couldn't be found.

Alex quickly offered her assistance then someone shouted about someone else drowning.

And she was quick to react.

Alex jumped into the waters and pulled her out.

She pulled Julianne out.

And she worked hard, she did her best to save her.

Responders were arriving, and Alex got Julianne to the hospital as quickly as she could.

She was a doctor.

One of the best.

But she still failed at saving the person she loved the most.

The person who meant the whole world to her.

And that crushed her inside.

Because if only one thing was different, if she ended the stupid fight earlier, If she didn't let Julianne go alone, if she was with her, if they stayed in instead, or if she was better than she already was…

…then maybe she could have been alive.

Alex was inconsolable after that.

And she buried herself into her work even more.

Even Alaric couldn't reach out to her.

Until yet another fateful day.

"I know it will never be a good enough excuse. Nothing will. But imagine my surprise when I found you. You who looked a whole lot like the person I lost." Alex said, her voice shaky. She wasn't entirely sure, but some time as she recounted her tale she simply started crying.

"I did everything I could to make sure you'd pull through. And I did, you know, I waited for you to wake up. I wasn't sure if you remember but you actually first woke up here at the hospital, and you were scared, highly. We tried to get information out of you, if you remember anything from the accident, but it was clear you had no idea what was going on, or for that matter who you were. You ended up scratching the cheeks of your other attending physician so I offered to keep you at my place instead. I offered to watch over you. But…"

Alex took in another deep breath and steadied herself. "I was ready to do the right thing, just so you know, but the temptation was there and I might have let myself get carried away with my own fantasy, my own misguided idea of having a second chance. For some sort of reason Julianne's last words to me was the only thing I could think off, and I do know I used that as a justification even though it was highly illogical… but… but when you woke up again, you were calmer. You instantly got yourself attached to me, and I… I was enamored. Again, no real good reason. Then I just… I found myself falling for you… and then I was afraid I'd lose you. I guess a part of me knew you were never mine to keep."

"I think I did love you too, you know." Beca whispered weakly, her voice a little raspy as she stirred awake.

Alex instantly rushed to her side, wiping away her tears as she watched as Beca groggily pouted at her playfully. "Doesn't mean you had to act all paranoid." Beca said before stinking her tongue out at her and Alex chuckled.

She was a little relieved to see Beca wasn't as angry as she thought she would be.

Or for that matter panicky at the current situation.

"I knew what was in your files, remember? I knew about your past. You never asked me about it and I let it go, but then one day, one redheaded girl strolls into your life either by chance or on purpose and I could feel it, I could see it, you were changing."

"You knew Chloe was from my past?"

"From the moment I saw her in the coffee shop with you." Alex said, thoughtfully. "So I asked Dantes to do a little more digging for me and from some resources from your old life as a Barden Bella, I got pages worth of a story of stolen glances and lingering touches that never manifested itself. Jesse came close to finding you once, well technically he did it's just he never managed reaching you because of your bodyguards."

"Yeah I remember, Bash was on high alert when a guy randomly ran to me and simply grabbed me. He thought he wanted to hurt me."

"Right, and well, you simply moved on from that. But Chloe was different."

"Yes, Chloe is different." Beca said thoughtfully. "I'm in love with her."

"I can see that." Alex replied sounding a little brokenhearted.

"I've always been in love with her."

"So I've heard Beca. And I'm not going to stand in the way. For one thing, your girlfriend can slap hard."

Beca chuckled. "She's not my girlfriend though."

"And you don't see the problem in that? I think she's loved you from the very start."

"She did." Beca said and Alex looked at her curiously. "I think I always knew, I was just afraid of how she made me feel. I was terrified of being raw and vulnerable again and so I chose something safe."

"Beca… what are you saying?" Alex asked.

Because it sure sounded like…

"But anyways, I was planning to tell her that day, you know? I meant, I did tell her. I think Amy said she never erased the voicemail, so if Amy knew I left that voicemail then I'm sure she knows. Besides, I've let her know that again. Still, the first time I told her I loved her was over the phone, and it was left as a voicemail. God, how stupid was that? I ran off to see my mom after that stupid argument in the hospital, and mostly to escape Jesse pestering me about it, and you know what? The only thing I could think of was 'why the hell did you run?' Because I left Chloe. I left her behind when all I wanted was to keep her close to me. I never wanted to say goodbye, and in the end I didn't get the chance to do just that. And when I was on that ferry, all I knew I wanted to do was to get on the first flight back to Atlanta to fetch her. To let her know how much I actually loved her. I just wanted to run back to her. Instead I get myself in the utmost tragic event of my life and forget about her."

Alex gaped at Beca as she rambled on.

And she wasn't sure about the 'how', but one thing was clear.

She knows.

Everything.

Beca remembers.

"Your memory…" Alex started to say and Beca took a deep breath before addressing her again.

"It came back during your little spat with Chloe."

"That's why you collapsed."

"I think so? Oh, and don't let this thing with me being civil confuse you, I'm still upset about you lying."

"I know."

"But I am sorry Alex."

"Now what on earth are you apologizing for?"

"I'm not Julianne, and I can never be her. That I couldn't love you as much as I'll ever love Chloe."

"Don't be stupid. You can't love two people the same way at the same time. You never stopped loving Chloe, I get that now. I should be the one apologizing."

"Even good people do bad things sometimes. I think you get that now. You still did save my life after all, and if you never did, I'll never have this second chance with Chloe."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. She got what Beca meant. "Do you want me to get her? You're friends are outside too."

"I just want to rest for now." Beca mumbled as she started drifting off to sleep.

And Alex smiled light-heartedly.

Somehow she knew Beca was still her second chance.

It just wasn't the way she thought it would be.


	24. All That You Could Ever Want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to stick with Chloe in this one.
> 
> Sorry if it's a little short…
> 
> …I blame science…
> 
> …and mostly because my mind's on overdrive, but yeah…
> 
> …anyways, I do have a plot in mind for the sequel (temporary plot that is) but considering this fic's a bit on the soap opera side plot-wise, my idea for the sequel is… well… it's also soap opera-ish…
> 
> How do you guys feel about a long lost sister (sound off in the comments)? My first fic was about Beca having a sister she lost touch with (I like a good tragic backstory) but I never really managed to build on the plot and the characters for that one (it was my first fic… I didn't think I'd be writing fics at all after that, I just wanted to try it out and this sort of just happened… happy accident?). Anyway, that story centered on Beca telling Chloe how she felt while her sister tries to charm the redhead and I think with the confession out of the way I can build on the story better.
> 
> We'll also still see Alaric and Alex. ;)
> 
> I do have another plot in mind, but it will work well whether or not I adopt the missing relatives angle. It's just more dramatic that way :P
> 
> Sorry for the long schpill. On that note, the last chapter won't probably be up until next Thursday (next week not this coming one). It's the last one but I want to write it properly (also to kind of build on it for the sequel), but I don't have that much spare time at the moment.
> 
> I don't own pitch perfect.

It's been one crazy day.

Who knows where you'll find yourself at when you wake up in the morning and get out of bed?

Do you know if you'll find everything you've ever wanted and more?

Or if you'll face the threat of losing what it was you've always wanted?

Chloe was greeted with both of those prospects as the slow hours of the day unfolded.

From a seemingly final confrontation to Beca just suddenly collapsing…

…Chloe's had one hell of a rollercoaster ride that day.

Chloe had to admit she was wondering why Beca wasn't jumping in on the argument, giving her own opinion about the matter.

And Chloe couldn't help but worry why the DJ collapsed in the first place.

But the cat's out of the bag already so there's that.

Chloe joined Aubrey and Alaric to meet Beca's parents. Alaric was quick to react with resolving a whole lot of this mess after Beca lost consciousness, taking it as an opportunity to bring Beca back to life to her parents.

Alaric noted that Chloe's slap seemed to have snapped Alex back to her senses, the Bellas keeping guard on his sister to make sure that she doesn't do anything stupid as she attends to Beca's needs as her actual doctor.

Which gave them the perfect opportunity for doing what they were doing now, Aubrey convincing Chloe that Beca will be alright, with her initial test results being normal and all.

Both Dr. Mitchell and his former wife, a lovely woman named Elizabeth Spencer, sat opposite Alaric – he had them flown in – in Alex's office while Chloe and Aubrey decided to hang back by the door to let Beca's mom and dad have their moment to process everything.

Somehow Alaric managed to spin the story to a less incriminating one, stating that Beca's been a patient in the hospital for five years, woke up without her memory, but found no interest what's so ever in relearning her past.

It annoyed the hell out of Chloe that Alaric claimed that since Beca didn't want to know much of her past the von Albrechts simply helped her establish a new life of her own.

That much wasn't a lie.

They did help her with the club and all.

And Alex somehow slyly convinced Beca to let go of the past.

What was quite questionable was Alaric stretching the tale that every time Beca tried to recall the past she would have 'episodes' which Alaric didn't further describe stating that for Beca's own sake, they didn't force her much on remembering.

Yep, nice as he seemingly was Alaric was definitely a von Albrecht.

Chloe very nearly forgot about that fact when he let her run after Beca.

Of course Alaric would watch out for her sister and her not so legal endeavors.

Chloe wasn't sure if Dr. Mitchell and the former Mrs. Mitchell bought a single word of it but they were nevertheless thankful for the 'kindness' Alaric's family had shown Beca.

Truth be told, Chloe thought that Beca's mom and dad were just probably thankful that their daughter was in fact alive.

Alaric went on and on about spinning his tale about how Chloe and Aubrey found Beca by accident but decided to wait until they found out more about the DJ – if she was in fact the same Beca – and, as Alaric claimed, they both worked with him and Alex – the thought of that made Chloe sick – to deal with the delicate situation of letting Beca know about her past.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that the Bellas themselves have conducted some questionably legal methods for digging up information to figure out everything – or for that matter, if it wasn't the fact that Alaric was one of the best lawyers in town, his firm being the top firm in the country – and the fact that the von Albrechts were incredibly influential, Chloe wouldn't have rested until the truth, and the absolute truth as she and her friends have pieced together, was out.

But you take what you can get.

Life wasn't perfect.

And all that mattered was Beca was okay.

Unconscious, but okay.

Before the lies got out of hand, apparently Alaric fancied himself to be quite a storyteller, Chloe excused herself from the room.

Aubrey decided to stick around in case the lies got more ridiculously outrageous.

Chloe got on the elevator to head to Beca's floor, her thoughts about the day fully occupying her.

"Fancy seeing you here." Alex awkwardly said as Chloe looked up to see the doctor on the elevator herself. "By the way, I'll have you know you're the first person who's actually slapped me before. I have to say, the experience is in itself quite an eye opener."

"Well, you deserved it. Shouldn't you be gazing longingly at Beca?" Chloe retorted a little coolly before adopting a softer tone. "How is she?" she asked.

Alex hummed. "If you're pertaining about her vitals and stuff, she's a hundred percent healthy." she replied thoughtfully. "If you're asking me why she fainted, you ought to ask her that yourself."

"You mean when she wakes up."

"Oh, she's woken up, she's just resting again."

"She…? What did she say? How is she, is she feeling sick? Was it something she ate?" Chloe found herself asking.

"Why don't you go and check if you're girlfriend is awake? I have other patients to see too, besides I think the distance between all of us would be for the best."

"She's not my…"

"Let me tell you what I told her," Alex said as the doors of the elevator opened to reveal Beca's floor, "don't you think there's something wrong with that picture?"

Chloe looked back at Alex curiously, the tall blonde taking a deep breath. "I owe you a lot Chloe Beale. You and Beca. In a way, the both of you actually saved me. I know it doesn't cut it, maybe it never will, but I am sorry."

"You're right," Chloe said, "it doesn't cut it."

Chloe took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator taking one last look at Alex. "But maybe one day you'll get to make it up." she then said, which earned her a rather melancholic smile back from the doctor.

The walk to Beca's room felt both long and short at the same time. Chloe could feel her heart racing with every step she took, the anticipation of what just might happen when she walks into the DJ's room growing more and more along the way.

She passes by the Bellas, nodding over their direction. But only Emily noticed, Benji dozing off right next to her. Ashley and Jessica were busy with watching something on their phone, probably biding their time for Beca to wake up before checking on her. Amy was too busy explaining to Bumper over the phone that Beca was alive. Jesse and his fiancé Alice were talking with Cynthia Rose and her wife, making plans on what they should do to ease Beca into the whole situation now that the truth was out in the open. Lilly looked like she was having a deep conversation with Bash about God knows what. Meanwhile, Flo was chatting with Stacie about the most random topics.

Chloe chuckled as she opened the door, the sight of Beca trying to desperately reach her phone and headset placed at the far away bedside table was a little adorable. "I thought Alex said you were resting." she commented as she closed the door. Chloe let out a little laughter when Beca looked at her like a child caught red handed for whatever mischief she had set ought to accomplish.

"I tried, but I couldn't sleep anymore." Beca truthfully replied.

And once again Beca was reduced to blushing bumbling idiot around Chloe.

For whatever reason it was.

But the last time Beca acted this way, she was remembering their little shower encounter ages ago, so Chloe figured she had simply just remembered something new. "What is it this time?" she asked.

Beca's eyes flickered between Chloe's own and her lips for a brief passing moment as the redhead sat down next to her, a thought passing in her mind. A smirk playfully tugged at the corners of the DJ's lips as she looked thoughtful for a minute.

Which made Chloe even more curious as to what Beca could have possibly remembered.

What was making her look all smug like she did, instantly recovering from her flustered behavior?

"Nothing new." Beca finally settled as a reply.

"Then why are you blushing?"

"I just remembered I was an idiot." Beca simply stated, smirk still plastered on her face as she was carefully studying Chloe's reactions.

Chloe laughed. "And what makes you an idiot this time?"

"I went ahead and got myself almost killed just after leaving you a message where I confess my true feelings for you, I mean who does that, right?"

Chloe looked closely at Beca. Did Amy mention the voicemail? Chloe couldn't remember if she did, based on her recollection of what happened the night before that is, but why on earth is Beca going on about this now?

But then Beca's smirk grew ever bigger as she recognized the confusion in Chloe's eyes.

"I was planning on catching a late night flight to Atlanta to come and get you, you know? Make up for my idiocy, maybe serenade you with a mix or something and buy flowers on the way." Beca then said.

And the confusion on Chloe's face quickly transformed into realization…

…Beca…

…she…

"You remember?" Chloe asked softly, her voice sounding weak and frail, her heart beating rapidly beneath her chest.

Because if Beca remembers that, does that mean…

…does she…?

Beca inched closer to Chloe, eyes once again flickering between the redhead's lips and her eyes as she whispered "Everything, Beale. I remember everything."

And Chloe couldn't help it.

She just leaned in closer and crashed her lips against Beca's, pouring all her heart out in that kiss.

Did Chloe know that morning when she woke up that everything she thought she once lost would be brought back to her?

Did she know that she'll find the happiness that she sought after since that fateful day?

No she didn't.

She was all but content to have Beca in her arms that morning.

In whatever state she was in.

Because she'll love Beca nonetheless.

But now she's found everything her heart could yearn for.

Sometimes a resilient heart simply finds everything it could ever hope to attain.

You just have to keep fighting.

And though life isn't perfect…

…sometimes things just fall into place.

And Chloe knew.

Her place was always to be in Beca's arms.

And now the DJ, everything she was and everything Chloe had known her to be, was in her arms too.

Beca wasn't just alive.

She was back.


	25. It's in the Very Law of Nature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for the wait (sorry if it's a little short but there will be a part two so…)! On that note, I'll upload the first chapter of part two on either Thursday or Friday next week.
> 
> And maybe the part 2 of 'Make A Wish'… who knows (I might upload that earlier, just gathering my bearings)? And if you haven't read that fic, I advise you do ;) It's one of my favorites among what I've actually written.
> 
> Anyways, three things for the sequel (which I promise will be lighter and fun):
> 
> Some mischiefs and shenanigans including some spying and some theme park fun
> 
> Someone from Beca's past who is surprisingly connected to the von Albrechts (and who may or may not help Chloe one-up a certain DJ for a certain little 'thing' she's planning)
> 
> And a riff-off battle (spanning at least two to three chapters with a hip-hop/rap battle round) for some strange charity event…
> 
> So those are some things to look forward to.
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and support!

"Beca!" Chloe called. But no response.

Which was strange.

She knew for a fact that the DJ should be in their room, still taking some time off from work after being released from the hospital.

There was a slight panic that started to fill Chloe when she couldn't find Beca but a loud shriek from Aubrey a good ten seconds later and Chloe found Beca laughing her heart loud after what she would assume was a successful prank on Aubrey.

"Damn it Mitchell! Would you quit doing that!?" Aubrey huffed.

"Not my fault you scare easy Posen." Beca commented.

"Do you do this to Alex or your bodyguards when you're bored? Hide away at tight spaces before scaring the life out of them?"

"No, but I used to hide to escape them from time to time." Beca commented. "Oh, hey Chlo."

Chloe smiled as Beca hopped towards Chloe like an excited child, wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheeks.

"Hey Chlo." Aubrey said. "Didn't even hear you come in. And would please keep your girlfriend on a leash!"

Chloe was about to say something but Beca pulled her surprisingly usual antics – for the last two weeks at least – and hid behind her girlfriend, threw Chloe a pout and said "Chlo, Bree's being mean again."

"Oh no. You two will have to sort this out on your own, I'm done being your referee. But Beca, seriously, you have to stop acting like a kid sometimes." Chloe said with a smile.

"Hey, can't blame me. I haven't had fun like this in years." Beca said in response with a shrug as she slumped down the couch.

"I'm not to be the source of your entertainment, Mitchell." Aubrey commented. "Besides, you're lucky I let you move in with us."

"Oh, you know you love me Posen." Beca retorted.

"Whatever, I'm heading over to Stacie's and when I get back you better not be consummating like bunnies on the couch." Aubrey replied as she stood up and headed for the door.

With Beca yelling out "That only almost happened once! Once Posen!" and Chloe couldn't help but laugh her heart out.

"I don't understand why she's mad at me about that, it was your fault, you know." Beca mumbled as Chloe finally joined her.

"My fault?" Chloe exclaimed a little exaggerated, feigning innocence.

"Yes, you. You were being all seductive and everything."

"Yes, well I missed you and we had a lot of catching up."

"Chloe, that was definitely not catching up."

"Yeah, well, I didn't hear you complaining." Chloe replied and Beca simply chuckled, moving closer to where the redhead sat, lying down on the couch with her head resting on Chloe's lap.

The two of them just sat in silence for a few good minutes, Chloe mindlessly flipping through the channels as her hands played with Beca's hair, weaving them through, entangling them at times.

And nothing could have been more perfect for Chloe.

Because it was everything she could have ever wanted and more.

Like everything was as it should have been from the very beginning.

If someone would have told Chloe five years ago that there would still be a chance for all her dreams to come true, she wouldn't have believed them.

"Whatcha' thinking Chlo?" Beca then said, looking up at Chloe and staring at her intently.

"What do you mean Becs?"

"You have that look on your face."

"What look?" Chloe replied, looking at her girlfriend curiously.

"Oh you know, that 'I'm so lucky I have a super talented and hot girlfriend' look." Beca teased.

And Chloe scoffed. "Full of yourself much?"

Beca laughed in response. "Seriously though Chloe, I love you." she then said, sitting up and cupping Chloe's cheeks, pulling her face closer and holding it inches away from hers. "And I'm really lucky to have you, like you keep pulling everything I want, everything I'll ever need, close to my life. Like it all started with you. I really am just so in love with you that I can't even find the right words to say it because I don't think it even exists."

Chloe smiled, her eyes flickering between Beca eyes and her lips, "I love you too." she said in a whisper. "Now what have you done wrong and why are you being all sappy?"

Beca chuckled. "I kinda' messed up big time, remember? I'm just making sure you know that I'm going to spend my whole life making it up to you."

"Having you here is all I need." was all that Chloe replied with before capturing the DJ's lips.

She figured they have a few good hours before Aubrey comes back. ;)


End file.
